TESS

Launch date: Apr 18, 2018

Part of the Explorers program, this space telescope is intended for wide-field search of exoplanets transiting nearby stars. It is the first NASA high priority science mission launched by SpaceX. It was the first time SpaceX launched a scientific satellite not primarily intended for Earth observations. The second stage placed it into a high-Earth elliptical orbit, after which the satellite's own booster will perform complex maneuvers including a lunar flyby, and over the course of two months, reach a stable, 2:1 resonant orbit with the Moon. In January 2018, SpaceX received NASA's Launch Services Program Category 2 certification of its Falcon 9 'Full Thrust', certification which is required for launching medium risk missions like TESS. It was the last launch of a new Block 4 booster, and marked the 24th successful recovery of the booster. An experimental water landing was performed in order to attempt fairing recovery.

Media

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    "reddit": {
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    "presskit": "http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/tesspresskitfinal417.pdf",
    "webcast": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY-0uBIYYKk",
    "youtube_id": "aY-0uBIYYKk",
    "article": "https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/19/all-sky-surveyor-launched-from-cape-canaveral-on-the-hunt-for-exoplanets/",
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  "static_fire_date_utc": "2018-04-11T18:30:00.000Z",
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  "details": "Part of the Explorers program, this space telescope is intended for wide-field search of exoplanets transiting nearby stars. It is the first NASA high priority science mission launched by SpaceX. It was the first time SpaceX launched a scientific satellite not primarily intended for Earth observations. The second stage placed it into a high-Earth elliptical orbit, after which the satellite's own booster will perform complex maneuvers including a lunar flyby, and over the course of two months, reach a stable, 2:1 resonant orbit with the Moon. In January 2018, SpaceX received NASA's Launch Services Program Category 2 certification of its Falcon 9 'Full Thrust', certification which is required for launching medium risk missions like TESS. It was the last launch of a new Block 4 booster, and marked the 24th successful recovery of the booster. An experimental water landing was performed in order to attempt fairing recovery.",
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  "launchpad": "5e9e4501f509094ba4566f84",
  "flight_number": 60,
  "name": "TESS",
  "date_utc": "2018-04-18T22:51:00.000Z",
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