NASA has discovered new planet capable of supporting life in case Earth is destroyed on September 28

USA: The Kepler Spacecraft was launched in 2009 with the specific aim of locating exoplanets. That is, planets with similar attributes to Earth and a safe enough distance from a parent star to sustain life.

When it's not snapping the first ever pictures of Pluto or scouring Mars for skeletons and pyramids, NASA is exploring the depths of space for life-supporting planets.

Now the space agency has put out a statement saying it will hold a press conference to reveal: "new discoveries made by its planet-hunting mission, the Kepler Space Telescope".

"Exoplanets, especially small Earth-size worlds, belonged within the realm of science fiction just 21 years ago," a spokesperson for NASA said.

"Today, and thousands of discoveries later, astronomers are on the cusp of finding something people have dreamed about for thousands of years -- another Earth."

Since its launch, the Kepler Spacecraft has picked out 1,028 planets and 22 of those are believed to have conditions suited to life.

NASA looks specifically for a planet to be in the "habitable zone" - the distance from a star that means the surface temperature can sustain liquid water.

The Kepler Space Telescope is the first NASA mission for detecting Earth-like exoplanets in space. It was launched in 2009 and has, so far, discovered over 1,000 exoplanets.

Today, scientists at the space agency have revealed a new Earth-like planet called Kepler 452b.

The planet is the closest to Earth so far and could have a rocky surface supporting liquid water and even alien LIFE.

Follow all the news below as we cover the live announcement being made over in California.