In a poignant moment for space exploration, NASA’s Kepler space telescope received its final set of commands to disconnect communications with Earth on the evening of November 15, 2018. This marked the end of Kepler’s remarkable journey, which began in March 2009 and spanned over nine years of groundbreaking discoveries.
Kepler’s Legacy
Kepler’s mission was to search for exoplanets—planets outside our solar system. During its operational period, Kepler discovered thousands of exoplanets, revealing that our galaxy contains more planets than stars. This profound insight has reshaped our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
Final Commands and Retirement
The final commands, aptly referred to as “goodnight” commands, were sent from Kepler’s operations center at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. These commands disabled the safety modes that could inadvertently turn systems back on and severed communications by shutting down the transmitters. Kepler is now drifting in a safe orbit around the Sun, 94 million miles away from Earth.
Kepler’s Impact
Kepler’s data will continue to be mined for exciting discoveries for many years to come. Its legacy lives on through its successor, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which builds on Kepler’s foundation with fresh batches of data in its search for planets orbiting some 200,000 of the brightest and nearest stars to Earth.
A Lasting Tribute
Coincidentally, Kepler’s “goodnight” fell on the same date as the 388-year anniversary of the death of its namesake, German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who discovered the laws of planetary motion. As a tribute, NASA asked those closest to Kepler to reflect on what the mission meant to them and its finding of “more planets than stars”.
Kepler’s journey may have come to an end, but its contributions to science and our understanding of the cosmos will be remembered for generations to come.
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