NASA Announces Kepler’s Retirement
On October 30, 2018, NASA announced that the Kepler space telescope had run out of fuel needed for further science operations.
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The Announcement
On October 30, 2018, NASA announced that the Kepler space telescope had run out of fuel needed for further science operations. The spacecraft was retired in a safe solar orbit.
Looking for Distant Worlds
Kepler searched for planets around other stars by measuring changes in stellar brightness. The mission transformed the scale of evidence available for studying planetary systems.
A Spacecraft Limit
Fuel exhaustion was an operational limit. It did not mean that the telescope’s existing measurements had lost their value or that every possible analysis was complete.
A Continuing Scientific Archive
Data collected during the mission remained available for research. Scientific discoveries can follow after an observatory stops acquiring new observations.
The Correct Visual Ending
Kepler was not deliberately crashed into a planet on this date. A retirement illustration should show a spacecraft in orbit rather than inventing a fiery final descent.
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