This artists concept reveals the European Space Agencys ARIEL spacecraft on its method to Lagrange Point 2 (L2)– a gravitationally stable, Sun-centric orbit– where it will be shielded from the Sun and have a clear view of the sky. NASAs JPL will handle the missions CASE instrument. Credit: ESA/STFC RAL Space/UCL/Europlanet-Science Office
Ariel, the Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey objective, will carry out a chemical census of a big and diverse sample of exoplanets by examining their environments in great detail, finally addressing still open questions like: What are exoplanets made from, how do planets and planetary systems form, and how do worlds and their environments progress?
With the complementary work of both ground- and space-based observatories, we will get closer to comprehending one of humankinds greatest concerns: are we alone in the Universe?
ESAs brand-new and future exoplanet missions. ESAs trifecta of dedicated exoplanet missions– Cheops, Plato, and Ariel– will also be complemented with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope mission. The Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, Cheops, was introduced in December 2019 and is observing brilliant stars understood to host exoplanets, in particular Earth-to-Neptune-sized worlds.
Searching for exoplanetary systems. Credit: ESA– C. Carreau
ESAs trifecta of devoted exoplanet missions– Cheops, Plato, and Ariel– will also be complemented with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope objective.
ESAs future and new exoplanet missions. ESAs trifecta of dedicated exoplanet missions– Cheops, Plato, and Ariel– will likewise be complemented with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope objective. Credit: ESA
The Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, Cheops, was released in December 2019 and is observing bright stars understood to host exoplanets, in particular Earth-to-Neptune-sized worlds. It is recording the precise sizes of these relatively little worlds and combined with mass measurements currently computed from other observatories, will enable the worlds density to be identified, and hence make a first-step characterization of the nature of these worlds. Cheops will also recognize candidates for extra research study by future missions. For example, it will supply well-characterized targets for the worldwide James Webb Space Telescope releasing in December 2021, which will perform more detailed studies of their atmospheres.
Artists impression of CHEOPS. Credit: © ESA/ ATG medialab
Plato, the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars objective, is a next-generation world hunter with an emphasis on the homes of rocky planets in orbits up to the habitable zone around Sun-like stars– the place from a star where liquid water can exist on the planets surface. Notably, it will also evaluate the planets host star, including its age, and thus provide insight into the evolutionary state of the whole extrasolar system.