The Allen Telescope Array (ATA), a field of radio dishes in rural northern California built to detect transmissions from distant alien civilizations, has been shuttered, at least temporarily, as its operators scramble to find a way to continue to fund it.

The SETI Institute would like to use the ATA to listen in on any radio waves that might be emanating from the extrasolar planets now being found by NASA’s Kepler spacecraft. In February, Kepler scientists announced that they had compiled a list of 1,235 possible planets orbiting distant stars, including several that might be habitable.

The ATA has been put into “hibernation,” meaning that “the equipment is unavailable for normal observations and is being maintained in a safe state by a significantly reduced staff,” said Tom Pierson, CEO of the SETI Institute.