A moderate-size visible-light telescope, similar to the 4- by 6-meter (13.1- by 19.6-foot) version currently under study, to launch around 2014. Onboard coronagraph instrumentation will use a central disc and other specialized techniques to block the glare of a star, allowing detection and characterization of dimmer planets around it.

Multiple spacecraft carrying 3 to 4 meter (9 to 13 foot) infrared telescopes flying in precise formation, to launch before 2020, and to be conducted jointly with the European Space Agency. Combining the infrared, or heat radiation gathered by the multiple telescopes, using a technique called interferometry, will simulate a much larger telescope. This will enable the mission to detect and study individual planets orbiting a parent star observed by TPF-C and also new ones beyond the reach of TPF-C.