NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a space-based exoplanet hunter, has resumed operations following a technical challenge that prompted it to be put into protected mode earlier this week.

The challenge started on Wednesday, October 12, when an issue with the satellite tv for pc’s pc arose. “The spacecraft is in a stable configuration that suspends science observations. Preliminary investigation revealed that the TESS flight computer experienced a reset,” NASA wrote in an replace on the time. “The TESS operations team reported that science data not yet sent to the ground appears to be safely stored on the satellite. Recovery procedures and investigations are underway to resume normal operations, which could take several days.”

Fortunately, the issue was rapidly resolved. The NASA group overseeing TESS powered it again up and the spacecraft was in a position to orient itself accurately. The information it collected just lately seems to be intact and might be downloaded quickly, and the satellite tv for pc ought to be capable of resume its operations. However, the group doesn’t but know the underlying reason behind the pc reset. NASA says that the group will proceed investigating to attempt to establish what prompted the issue.

TESS launched in 2018 and is orbiting across the Earth in a extremely elliptical orbit which permits it to see the sky of each the northern and southern hemispheres. It makes use of the transit technique to detect exoplanets. Because exoplanets are comparatively small and really distant, they typically can’t be instantly imaged. Instead, their presence is inferred by their results on their host stars. A transit happens when a planet passes in entrance of its star, which reduces that star’s obvious brightness for a short while. By detecting these transit occasions, TESS can establish new exoplanets.

TESS has found over 5,000 exoplanet candidates in its mission thus far, lasting simply over 4 years. Many of those are thought of candidates fairly than confirmed planets as a result of a number of observations are required to substantiate a possible planet’s standing. Some of the planets or planetary candidates which TESS has found embody a planet the place a 12 months lasts solely eight hours, a number of doubtlessly liveable worlds, and a wierd planet that should have been engulfed by its star.

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