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| CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite | |
|---|---|
| Name | CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite |
| Mission type | Space telescope |
| Operator | European Space Agency |
| Launch date | 2019-12-17 |
| Launch vehicle | Vega |
| Orbit | Sun–Earth L2 halo orbit |
| Instruments | Infrared spectrometer, photometer |
CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite is a European Space Agency mission focused on the atmospheric characterization of transiting exoplanets using transit spectroscopy and photometry. The project connects teams and facilities across European Space Agency, Arianespace, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and university groups from University of Geneva, University of Leicester, University of Exeter, and Observatoire de Paris. The mission intersects follow-up programs from Kepler space telescope, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, Hubble Space Telescope, and complements ground-based campaigns at Paranal Observatory, La Silla Observatory, and Mauna Kea Observatories.
The mission was developed within the framework of the European Space Agency science programme, building on heritage from Spitzer Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope exoplanet work, and intended to operate from a halo orbit about L2. The spacecraft integrates contributions from manufacturers such as Airbus Defence and Space and industrial partners including OHB SE and Thales Alenia Space. The program was coordinated with scientific advisory groups like the Exoplanet Exploration Program and the Royal Astronomical Society exoplanet community.
Primary objectives included measuring atmospheric composition, thermal structure, and cloud properties of warm and hot exoplanets discovered by surveys including WASP, HATNet Project, K2 mission, and Next-Generation Transit Survey. Additional goals emphasized synergy with missions such as James Webb Space Telescope, CHEOPS, and PLATO for target selection and follow-up. The mission sought to inform models by groups at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
The observatory featured a cryogenically cooled telescope and science payload developed by consortia including teams from University College London, Leiden University, Aix-Marseille University, and industry partners like RUAG Space. Instruments comprised an infrared spectrometer and a photometer optimized for 0.5–5 μm, with detectors leveraging technologies advanced at European Southern Observatory testbeds and coordinated with detector groups at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The spacecraft bus drew on architectures used by Gaia (spacecraft), Herschel Space Observatory, and Planck (spacecraft) for thermal control, attitude control systems borrowed from Rosetta (spacecraft) heritage, and communications interoperable with the Deep Space Network and ESA ground stations such as ESOC.
Operations were conducted from ESA mission control at European Space Operations Centre with science operations led by the Science Operations Centre consortium including Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale and University of Leiden. The nominal timeline included commissioning, calibration, a core exoplanet survey, and an open time program for the community modeled on allocation processes used by Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope. Target lists were updated with discoveries from TESS, NGTS, and ground surveys coordinated through networks like ExoClock and the European Southern Observatory.
The mission employed transit spectroscopy, eclipse photometry, and phase curve monitoring to retrieve atmospheric properties using forward models from groups at University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and University of Cambridge. Retrieval frameworks included methodologies developed at NASA Ames Research Center and within consortia such as ExoMol and ExoPlex. Observations targeted molecular bands of water, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide as probed in the near-infrared, while comparative studies drew on catalogs maintained by NASA Exoplanet Archive and Exoplanet Archive (ESA).
Data calibration pipelines were developed by teams from Open University, University of Bern, and Leiden Observatory, incorporating techniques from Kepler pipeline and methods validated on Spitzer time-series. Analysis employed retrieval codes and Bayesian frameworks from groups at University of Chicago, ETH Zurich, and University of California, Santa Cruz, with community tools shared via platforms such as GitHub and collaborative networks like European Research Council-funded projects. Archival data products were delivered to archives including ESA Science Data Centre and mirrored at NASA/IPAC for cross-mission accessibility.
Scientific output included detections and constraints on atmospheric constituents for a range of hot Jupiters, warm Neptunes, and super-Earth candidates, informing comparative planetology studies led by researchers at University of Arizona, Caltech, and MIT. Key findings were integrated into broader syntheses alongside results from JWST, Hubble, and Spitzer analyses, contributing to reviews in journals associated with Royal Astronomical Society, Nature Astronomy, and Astrophysical Journal. The mission influenced target prioritization for future missions including ARIEL (spacecraft) and LUVOIR concept studies, and fostered collaborations with survey projects like PLATO and instrumentation efforts at European Southern Observatory facilities.
Category:European Space Agency satellites Category:Exoplanet telescopes