• Key Information

  • Kepler Space Telescope

  • Type
    Optical Space Telescope
  • Launch
    7 March, 2009
  • Weight
    2,294 lb
  • Mirror
    3.1 ft
  • Dimensions
    15.4 ft by 8.9 ft
  • Orbit Height
    1.0133 AU (orbiting the Sun)
  • Deactivated
    15 November, 2018
  • Learning Point
  • The Kepler Space Telescope was launched with the aim of identifying exoplanets, that is planets in other star systems. It was immensely successful, with its mission extended well beyond the original plan.
  • Project
  • Find some of the interesting planets the Kepler Space Telescope discovered.
  • Media
  • Location
  • Located in
    Merrit Island, Florida
  • Fun Facts
  • Kepler was named after the astronomer Johannes Kepler.
  • The telescope observed 530,506 stars, and found 2,662 confirmed planets.
  • The telescope orbits the sun, doing so behind the Earth, and therefore has a clearer view of the sky, with no stray light interfering with it.