JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo

Kepler

Kepler Exoplanet Mission

Kepler was a space telescope designed to survey a portion of the Milky Way galaxy in search of exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system.

Visit Mission Website
Kepler foreground

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

March 6, 2009

Type

Orbiter

Target

Exoplanets

Status

Past

About the mission

Kepler was a space telescope designed to survey a portion of the Milky Way galaxy in search of exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system.

Using data from the Kepler mission and the extended K2 mission, scientists have identified more than 2,800 candidate exoplanets and have confirmed more than 2,600 of these as bona fide planets. A handful of planets are thought to be rocky like Earth (but a bit bigger), and orbit in the habitable zone of their stars, where liquid water - an essential ingredient of life as we know it - might exist.

In 2013, Kepler was assigned a new mission called "K2." Two of the spacecraft's reaction wheels had failed, so engineers came up with a clever scheme to redesign the mission. K2 still hunted for planets, but it scanned a larger swath of sky than before, along the ecliptic plane. The mission began new types of research as well, such as the study of objects within our solar system, exploded stars, and distant supermassive black holes at the hearts of galaxies.

After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets - more planets even than stars - NASA's Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. NASA has decided to retire the spacecraft within its current, safe orbit, away from Earth. Kepler leaves a legacy of more than 2,600 planet discoveries from outside our solar system, many of which could be promising places for life.

More than 2,600 planet discoveries from outside our solar system, many of which could be promising places for life.

Instruments

  • Photometer

Mission Highlights

March 7, 2009

Launch

Kepler was launched on March 7, 2009, from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Nov. 14, 2012

End of Primary Mission

NASA announced the completion of Kepler's primary mission, and the beginning of its extended mission, on November 4, 2012.

May 16, 2014

K2 Phase

NASA announced the approval of extending the Kepler mission to the K2 mission phase on May 16, 2014.

Oct. 30, 2018

October 30, 2018 - End of Mission (fuel exhausted)
Exoplanets target

Interactive 3D model of Kepler. View the full interactive experience at Eyes on the Solar System.

More about Exoplanets

News .

NASA’s Spitzer, TESS Find Potentially Volcano-Covered Earth-Size World

News .

NASA’s Webb Takes Closest Look Yet at Mysterious Planet

News .

NASA’s Webb Spots Swirling, Gritty Clouds on Remote Planet

News .

NASA Wants You to Help Study Planets Around Other Stars

News .

NASA’s TESS Discovers Planetary System’s Second Earth-Size World

News .

Assembly Begins on NASA’s Next Tool to Study Exoplanets

News .

Two Exoplanets May Be Mostly Water, NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Find

Event Nov. 10, 2022 .

What’s in a Name? How We Find, Name, and Investigate Exoplanets

News .

NASA’s Webb Takes Its First-Ever Direct Image of Distant World

News .

NASA Helps Decipher How Some Distant Planets Have Clouds of Sand

› Mission Website
› Press Kit
› Kepler on Facebook
› Kepler on Twitter

Explore Other Missions

FINESSE

Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer

Keck Interferometer

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018