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Ball Aerospace Kepler Space Telescope
Ball Aerospace · Exoplanet Transit Photometry Space Telescope · USA · Digital Age (2010–present)
The Kepler space telescope is an inactive space telescope launched by NASA in 2009 to discover Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars. Named after astronomer Johannes Kepler, the spacecraft was launched into an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit. The principal investigator was William J. Borucki. After nine and a half years of operation, the telescope's reaction control system fuel was depleted, and NASA announced its retirement on October 30, 2018.
Specifications
- Category
- Space
- Sub-Category
- Satellite
- Domain
- Civil
- Era
- Digital Age (2010–present)
- Country
- USA
- Manufacturer
- Ball Aerospace
- Operator
- NASA
- Primary Role
- Exoplanet Transit Photometry Space Telescope
- Status
- Retired
- Service Entry
- 2009
- Propulsion
- Rocket
- Engine
- 4 reaction wheels + 12 hydrazine thrusters
- Length (ft)
- 14.8
- MTOW (lb)
- 2,320
- Payload (lb)
- 1,071