TIC 116046773.01: a 2.2 Earth-radius planet candidate on a 5.65-day orbit around a nearby K dwarf, found in TESS full-frame images

We report a transiting planet candidate around TIC 116046773 (Gaia DR3 4608570247290179200), a T = 10.4 K dwarf at 62.5 pc, found by Tessa, an open search of TESS full-frame-image light curves of nearby K and M dwarfs that were mostly never observed at 2-minute cadence. Data from 7 sectors show 25 transits with period P = 5.650286 ± 0.000012 d, depth 770 ppm and duration 2.27 h (SNR 18.3), implying a planet radius of 2.19+0.16−0.10 R⊕. The signal passes every test available to us: odd and even transits agree (0.1σ) and there is no significant secondary eclipse (SNR 3.9); the depth is consistent across sectors (p = 0.00); the stellar density implied by the transit shape matches the catalogue value (ratio 2.33, 68% interval 0.70–2.79); Gaia DR3 astrometry (RUWE 0.89) and radial velocities show no sign that the target is a binary; in a leave-one-season-out test, each of 4 seasons is predicted from the others and shows the dip at the predicted times; the identical search on this star's upside-down light curve finds nothing stronger than SNR 7.2, against 18.3 for the dip; TRICERATOPS gives FPP = 0.061 and NFPP = 4.3e-06: a likely planet (FPP < 0.5 and NFPP < 0.001; Giacalone et al. 2021), short of the statistical-validation bar (FPP < 0.015, NFPP < 0.001). The candidate matches no known planet, TOI, CTOI, catalogued eclipsing binary or variable star. Other searches have also reported it (RAVEN (Zenodo 19661443); Reckling 2026 (doi 10.5281/zenodo.23664505)); Tessa found it independently, and this note adds its own vetting and predictions. We give an ephemeris and predicted transit times (timing uncertainty ≈6 min) for TESS Sector 117, which observes the star from 2027-05-10 to 2027-06-06, and for ground-based observations, and set out in advance the criterion by which new data will test the prediction. Files: the preprint (PDF); every predicted transit to 2027-06-30, with ground-site observability (CSV); and the candidate parameters (JSON).