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NASA's Planet-Hunting TESS Spacecraft Recovers From Glitch

TESS suspended its science operations for a spell, but is now back in action.

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Headshot of Amanda Kooser
Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
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TESS spacecraft with silver body and solar panels on each side.
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TESS spacecraft with silver body and solar panels on each side.

This is what TESS looked like before it launched into space.

 Orbital ATK

Space is a challenging place to work. One day you're going about your business searching for distant planets outside our solar system, the next your flight computer resets for unknown reasons. NASA announced last week that its exoplanet-hunting TESS spacecraft had encountered a technical glitch. Good news: It's back to work. 

TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) went into a protective safe mode on Oct. 10, suspending its science operations. A preliminary investigation pointed to an unexpected flight computer reset as the culprit. TESS has been in space since early 2018, and it's been busy surveying the cosmos as it seeks out intriguing new alien worlds. In an update on Friday, NASA said the spacecraft was returning to normal operations. 

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So far, TESS has identified over 250 exoplanets, including Earth-size worlds. TESS works by gazing out at stars and looking for a telltale drop in light that means a planet is passing in front of a star. NASA said the spacecraft appears to have safely stored science data that was not yet relayed to the ground. The agency expects all that data will be transmitted to the ground.

NASA is no stranger to spacecraft glitches. The Hubble Space Telescope, for example, has weathered quite a few technical snafus over the years and has survived and thrived. TESS seems to have made it through this glitch just fine. NASA hasn't yet pinpointed the cause, but the TESS team is working on an analysis.