CHEOPS current design

The Characterising Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS, ESA, 2017) will be the first ESA small-mission dedicated to detect transits of exoplanets by means of ultrahigh precision photometry on bright stars already known to host planets. It will provide the unique capability of determining accurate radii for a subset of those planets for which the mass has already been estimated from ground-based spectroscopic surveys. IA is again deeply involved in this mission, both at the coordination level (one Board representative), scientific level (members in the science team), and at development level (responsible for the data calibration software). This participation is strongly coordinated with the national industry.

Contact at IA: Nuno C. Santos & Sérgio A. G. Sousa