Kepler
• Launch date: 6 March 2009
• Orbital insertion: 12 May 2009
• End of mission: 5 November 2018
• Agency: NASA
Kepler is a space telescope designed to survey a portion of the Milky Way galaxy in search of Earth-size planets, including those where liquid water and possibly life might exist.
Using data from the mission, scientists hope to understand how common Earth-like planets are and assess the likelihood of finding a planet near our own that could support life.