TESS

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, Midex 7, Explorer 95

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General

Designation	43435 / 18038A
Launch date	18 Apr 2018
Country of origin	United States
Mission	Astronomy
Perigee/Apogee	1060/355000 km
Inclination	29°
Period	13170 min
Launch vehicle	Falcon 9 #60

Used a lunar gravitational manoeuvre to reach intended highly elliptical orbit (100,000/449,000 km x 36.4°).
The satellite will perform a survey of the sky to identify exoplanets.
Started operational science in Aug 2018.

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External resources

http://www.nasa.gov/tess

sat-index articles

n2yo.com tracking

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	Orbital
Platform	LEOstar-2
Mass at launch
Dry mass
Dimension
Solar array
Stabilization
DC power
Design lifetime

Carries 4 wide-field cameras.

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