August 2, 2018

TESS employs four wide-field cameras that were both designed, as well as built, by MIT and MIT Lincoln Lab. These should prove critical as TESS will be used to look at distant stars and seek out the tell-tale signs of exoplanets orbiting them.

“The TESS observatory is in excellent condition after completing the journey to its final orbit,” Steve Krein the vice president of science and environmental satellite programs with Northrop Grumman told SpaceFlight Insider. “TESS is another example of our ability to deliver successful scientific space missions that shape our knowledge of the known universe. We are proud to provide critical mission operations for TESS as it continues a historic journey to identify new planets outside our solar system.”