A new era of exoplanet discovery has begun. NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) successfully launched this week atop a Falcon 9 rocket.



Unlike the Kepler mission, which stared at a single, narrow patch of sky to find incredibly distant planets, TESS is going to conduct an all-sky survey. It will focus on stars that are much closer and much brighter. This is crucial because it means the planets TESS discovers will be prime candidates for follow-up observations by the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. We are finally building the catalogue of neighbouring worlds whose atmospheres we might actually be able to probe for signs of life.