Kepler Ends Prime Mission, Begins Extended Mission

Kepler Ends Prime Mission, Begins Extended Mission

NASA marks two milestones in the search for planets like Earth: the beginning of NASA's Kepler space telescope's extended mission and the successful completion of its three-and-a-half year prime mission.

Scientists have used Kepler data to identify more than 2,300 planet candidates and confirm more than 100 planets – teaching us that the galaxy is teeming with planetary systems, that planets are prolific, and hints that nature makes small planets efficiently.