A watery mission: NASA's first planet-hunting telescope heads into space

NASA has successfully launched its first planet-hunting telescope, Kepler. The rocket launch took place in Cape Canaveral, Florida just before 4am GMT on Friday night.

It will spend 3½ years orbiting the sun as it watches 100,000 stars situated near the Cygnus and Lyra constellations, between 600 and 3,000 lights year away.

It will watch for any dimming, or winks, in the stellar brightness that might be caused by planets orbiting stars in a 'habitable zone'.

Scientists are not looking for planets holding life, but Earth-like planets where liquid water could be present on the surface.

Astronomers already have found more than 300 planets orbiting other stars, but these are largely inhospitable gas giants such as Jupiter. (Daily Mail)