Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is a space telescope that was developed as part of NASA’s Explorers Programme to hunt for exoplanets. It was launched in 2018 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. It is currently revolving around an elliptical 13.7-day orbit around the Earth. As of April 5 this year, the telescope has detected 2,601 candidate exoplanets, of which 122 are confirmed.

TESS recently discovered a circumbinary planet named TIC 172900988b. Circumbinary planets are those that orbit two stars instead of one. The newly discovered planet is the largest of all known circumbinary planets.