There will be two launch opportunities, one at 10:49 – 10:52 p.m. and one at 11:13 – 11:16 p.m. EST. In the first stage, the rocket’s main engine and six strap-on solid boosters will ignite, followed by the ignition of three remaining boosters 65.5 seconds later.

 

The spacecraft will reach a circular orbit 115 miles above Earth 10 minutes after launch, and 43 minutes later, the second-stage engine will fire again, followed later on by the separation process. According to NASA, 62 minutes into the launch, Kepler will be on its final Earth-trailing orbit around the Sun.

 

Everyone is very excited about the launch, at the prospect of new discoveries that could reveal other Earth-like planets with habitability potential.

 

“We will monitor a wide range of stars, from small cool ones, where planets must circle closely to stay warm, to stars bigger and hotter than the sun, where planets must stay well clear to avoid being roasted” said William Borucki, science principal investigator for the mission at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California.

 

Kepler’s mission will extend on 3.5 years, and will include watching 100,000 stars, as NASA estimated. Kepler’s camera is more powerful than any other instrument surveying space. According to the agency, it would take at least 3 years to confirm the existence of Earth-like planets in habitable zones of stars like our Sun.