NASA is all set to launch its latest satellite in March - the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite...or TESS...will hunt for exoplanets by observing almost the entire sky with four special cameras.
Exoplanets are planets outside of our own solar system - some of them could have similar conditions to earth...and just might be hiding signs of life.
US President Donald Trump has already pledged that American astronauts will return to the moon, before reaching for Mars after that.
Our US correspondent Giles Gibson went to the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society near Washington DC to find out more:
Script
VO Scientists from around the world are gathering at this hotel just outside the US capital to show off the latest technology in space exploration
VO And with its launch coming up in March, the team behind TESS is showcasing their ambitious project
VO NASA scientist Dr Thomas Barclay says the satellite's mission is simple:
SOT Dr Thomas Barclay, NASA
"What we're going to do with TESS is we're going to find planets around our nearest neighbours, the planets orbiting stars in our cosmic backyard. These are planets that we're going to be able to study for the next few decades and really understand what their atmospheres are made of, what their internal structures are made of, and maybe if they have life on the surface of these planets."
VO The mission is designed to build on another NASA project's recent discoveries - the Kepler satellite has found nearly 5000 possible exoplanets in distant solar systems in recent years.
VO Special cameras mounted on TESS will allow it to scan up to 85% of the sky over the next few years
VO Dr George Ricker, another member of the team, says the new satellite will take the hunt for exoplanets to the next level
SOT Dr George Ricker, MIT
"TESS is going to launch in March according to the current plan, and it's really intended to bridge the capabilities that were provided by Kepler and the thousands of exoplanets that it discovered to actually providing information that will be useful for web and telescopic missions that are yet to come."
VO After this brand new NASA satellite blasts off in a matter of weeks, it will then spend years scanning up to 200,000 stars, and just might be the first step in finding life on another planet. Sign off