The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) from the NASA is back in action, searching for worlds beyond the Solar System. TESS came out of the “mode provisional” on May 3, resuming the search for worlds in other star systems, known as exoplanets (or exoplanets) as they cross or “transit” in front of their parent stars, causing a small dip in starlight. The satellite had entered safe mode when it stopped operations on April 23, just 5 days after celebrating the 6th anniversary of its launch on April 18, 2018.
The TESS operations team has determined that the “safe fashions” was triggered when an anomaly affected the reaction wheels, which are responsible for the correct orientation of TESS as it carries out its observations. This crash is related to a separate safe mode event that resulted in the exoplanet hunter shutting down early last month. TESS went offline onApril 8resuming operations after the technical problem April 17and then go back to safe mode 6 days later.
NASA said the 2nd shutdown occurred because by the time the April 8 safe mode event was resolved, TESS’s propulsion system had failed to repressurize with success. This system is responsible for dumping momentum from the reaction wheels.
TESS was restored to full capacity when the operations team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) depressurized the propulsion system. Yet, although TESS has returned to full operation, the cause of the first safe mode event on April 8 still remains a mystery under investigation by experts at NASA and MIT.
TESS has completed its main mission in July 2020 and concluded its premiere extended mission in September 2022. The exoplanet hunter is currently in its second extended mission period.
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