Artist’s impression of the launch of ESA’s Cheops mission, shortly after separation of the four boosters. (Source: ESA)
Following the successful launch of CHEOPS, and once routine tests of the satellite in orbit have been completed, operations are set to begin at the end of March 2020 and last around four years. The scientific community the world over is eagerly awaiting the data gathered on exoplanets, underlining the major importance of the contribution made by Swiss scientists. CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) is a space telescope mounted on a satellite platform. It was engineered and assembled by the University of Bern in close cooperation with the University of Geneva. This is the first mission led jointly by Switzerland and ESA. During its study of known exoplanets, the mission will focus on planets in the super-Earth to Neptune size range orbiting host stars. The aim is to measure their size and estimate their composition (rocky or gassy) and certain atmospheric properties, which will be crucial in determining whether the exoplanets could potentially be habitable.
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