Hobbled Kepler Space Telescope Now On The Hunt For A New Mission

"We have it in a point rest state right now," Sobeck said, referring to a state where the spacecraft uses as little fuel as possible. This will extend the fuel "budget" for years, although Sobeck was unable to say just how many years yet.

Another concern is NASA's limited budget, which (like other government departments) has undergone sequestration and other measures as the U.S. government grapples with its debt. Kepler has an estimated $18 million budget in fiscal 2013, agency officials said, adding they would need to weigh any future science mission against those of other projects being done by the agency.

The public drama began on May 15, when NASA announced that a second of Kepler's four reaction wheels -- devices that keep the telescope pointed in the right direction -- had failed.