The most recent update explains that Kepler embarked on its 19th observation campaign on Aug. 29. It was woken from "sleep mode" but one of its thrusters exhibited "unusual behaviour". The short update also states that the the telescope's "pointing performance" may be adversely affected.
The space telescope, originally launched in March 2009, has had a tumultuous year. The team placed Kepler into hibernation in July, as their new planet-hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), began testing for its own mission. The hibernation-like state was to ensure that the data from Kepler's 18th mission, stored onboard the spacecraft, would be able to make its way back to Earth.
That data was successfully downloaded on Aug. 9, as NASA monitored Kepler's health before placing it into sleep mode on Aug. 24.
Related Stories
NASA Retires Kepler Space Telescope
After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets - more planets even than stars - NASA's Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. NASA has decided to retire the spacecraft within its current, safe orbit, away from Earth. Kepler leaves a legacy of more than 2,600 planet discoveries from outside our solar system, many of which could be promising places for life.
"As NASA's first planet-hunting mission, Kepler has wildly exceeded all our expectations and paved the way for our exploration and search for life in the solar system and beyond," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Not only did it show us how many planets could be out there, it sparked an entirely new and robust field of research that has taken the science community by storm. Its discoveries have shed a new light on our place in the universe, and illuminated the tantalizing mysteries and possibilities among the stars."
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday September 07 2018, @07:22AM
Kepler just woke up, and it's hunting planets. Isn't earth a planet? And, Kepler is hungry? This is scary.
Oh, wait, that bear has only been asleep for a couple weeks. Can't be too hungry yet. Maybe he just needs to pee, and go back to bed.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday September 07 2018, @09:40AM
It's nice that we can get an additional data release or two before all the focus is on TESS.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]