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Launch Of NASA's Newest Planet-Hunting Spacecraft Delayed

/ CBS Colorado

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The launch of NASA's newest planet-hunting spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, has been delayed until Wednesday.
"Standing down today to conduct additional GNC analysis, and teams are now working towards a targeted launch of on Wednesday, April 18," SpaceX tweeted Monday afternoon.
The Tess satellite will scan almost the entire sky, staring at the brightest, closest stars in an effort to find any planets that might be encircling them. These mysterious worlds beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, could harbor life.https://twitter.com/NASA/status/985945930284154880The name Tess is short for Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

Scientists expect Tess to discover thousands of rocky and icy planets and gas giants, maybe even water worlds and places defying imagination — possibly even a twin Earth. Bigger and more powerful observatories of the future will scrutinize these prime candidates for potential signs of life.

(credit: NASA)

A SpaceX rocket was originally scheduled to blast off with Tess at 4:32 p.m. MT on Monday.

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First published on April 16, 2018 / 2:10 PM MDT

© 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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