11 Space Missions That Changed How We See the Universe

11. The Search for Earth 2.0: The Kepler and TESS Missions

The Kepler Space Telescope and its successor, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), have revolutionized the search for exoplanets. By monitoring stars for periodic dimming, these missions have discovered thousands of planets beyond our solar system, including many in the habitable zone. Kepler and TESS have expanded our understanding of planetary systems, revealing a diverse array of worlds and challenging our assumptions about planet formation. Their findings have profound implications for the search for life, suggesting that Earth-like planets may be more common than previously thought.