Diamond Member SpaceMan 0 Posted 13 hours ago Diamond Member Share Posted 13 hours ago 4 min read TESS Status Updates Jan. 23, 2026 NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Observations NASA’s This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up entered safe mode Jan. 15 and returned to normal science operations Jan. 18. The operations team determined the issue arose when TESS slewed to point at a target, but its solar panels did not rotate to remain pointed at the Sun relative to the spacecraft’s new direction. The off-Sun angle of the solar arrays resulted in a slow discharge of TESS’s batteries. As designed and planned for in situations of this kind, the satellite entered a safe mode after detecting the low-power condition. At the time of the safe mode, TESS was conducting a week-long observation of This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up and resumed those observations Jan. 18. Data from TESS is publicly available through archives at the This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . May 7, 2024 NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Operations NASA’s This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up returned to science operations May 3 and is once again making observations. The satellite went into safe mode April 23 following a separate ******* of down time earlier that month. The operations team determined this latest safe mode was triggered by a failure to properly unload momentum from the spacecraft’s reaction wheels, a routine activity needed to keep the satellite properly oriented when making observations. The propulsion system, which enables this momentum transfer, had not been successfully repressurized following a prior safe mode event April 8. The team has corrected this, allowing the mission to return to normal science operations. The cause of the April 8 safe mode event remains under investigation. The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS has been This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up looking for planets beyond our solar system, known as This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . The TESS mission has also uncovered other cosmic phenomena, including This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up and This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Read more about TESS discoveries at This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . April 24, 2024 NASA’s Planet-Hunting Satellite Temporarily on Pause During a routine activity April 23, NASA’s This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up entered safe mode, temporarily suspending science operations. The satellite scans the sky searching for planets beyond our solar system. The team is working to restore the satellite to science operations while investigating the underlying cause. NASA also continues investigating the cause of a separate safe mode event that took place earlier this month, including whether the two events are connected. The spacecraft itself remains stable. The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS recently celebrated its sixth anniversary in orbit. Visit This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up for updates. April 17, 2024 NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Operations NASA’s This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up has returned to work after science observations were suspended on April 8, when the spacecraft entered into safe mode. All instruments are powered on and, following the successful download of previously collected science data stored in the mission’s recorder, are now making new science observations. Analysis of what triggered the satellite to enter safe mode is ongoing. The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS has been This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up looking for planets beyond our solar system, known as This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . The TESS mission has also uncovered other cosmic phenomena, including This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up and This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Read more about TESS discoveries at This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . April 11, 2024 NASA’s TESS Temporarily Pauses Science Observations NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) entered into safe mode April 8, temporarily interrupting science observations. The team is investigating the root cause of the safe mode, which occurred during scheduled engineering activities. The satellite itself remains in good health. The team will continue investigating the issue and is in the process of returning TESS to science observations in the coming days. The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS has been scanning almost the entire sky looking for planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. The TESS mission has also uncovered other cosmic phenomena, including This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up and This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Read more about TESS discoveries at nasa. This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up /tess. Media Contacts Claire Andreoli(301) 286-1940*****@*****.tld This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up , Greenbelt, Md. Alise Fisher202-358-2546*****@*****.tld This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up , Washington Share Details Last Updated Jan 23, 2026 Related Terms This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up 0 Quote Link to comment https://hopzone.eu/forums/topic/297558-nasa-tess-status-updates/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
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