After over-working, the Kepler Space Telescope is finally taking its final nap. The spacecraft functioned more number of years than its fuel levels permitted and helped scientists discover thousands of planet beyond our Solar System.
As The Verge notes, the Kepler Space Telescope was launched in 2009 with enough fuel to last for over six years. However, it extended well beyond its four-year mission and survived nine eventful years in the space.
NASA realised Kepler was running out of fuel earlier this summer and decided to officially retire it. The spacecraft is in a safe orbit far from Earth. The entire trove of scientific data that it collected has been transmitted back to Earth.
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