Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
22:51:00
Wednesday April 18, 2018
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Last flight of a new Falcon 9 Block 4 first stage.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will discover thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest stars in the sky. In a two-year survey of the solar neighborhood, TESS will monitor more than 200,000 stars for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. This first-ever space-borne all-sky transit survey will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants, around a wide range of stellar types and orbital distances. No ground-based survey can achieve this feat. TESS used a lunar gravity assist to get into it's final orbit, and is in a 2:1 resonant orbit with the moon. It's orbit is expected to stay stable for 10 years.
Highly Elliptical Orbit
1 Payload
362 kilograms
Agency
SpaceXPrice
$62.00 million
Rocket
Diameter: 3.7m
Height: 70m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 22,800 kg
GTO: 8,300 kg
Liftoff Thrust
6,804 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 5.2m
Height: 13m
Stages
2
54th
Mission
7th
Mission of 2018
60th
Mission
8th
Mission of 2018
38th
Orbital launch attempt