Cheops: Planning a perfect mission

August 15th, 2019

Teams of scientists and engineers are simulating the launch, early orbit phase and commissioning of the CHEOPS mission ahead of its launch period in the last quarter of 2019. The simulations are taking place at the CHEOPS Mission Operations Centre at Torrejón de Ardoz, just outside Madrid in Spain. CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) is a powerful telescope that will obtain measurements from stars outside our Solar System that have known planets. This information will tell us more about the nature of these exoplanets and whether they have the right conditions for life. The mission is a partnership between ESA and Switzerland with additional contributions from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. This film contains contributions from Diana de Miguel, Airbus Defence & Space; and David Modrego, ISDEFE. Learn more: http://sci.esa.int/cheops/