CHEOPS

Launch data: Designation  44874 / 19092B Launch date  18 Dec 2019 - 08:54 UTC Launch site  Ko, ELS Launch vehicle  Soyuz-ST-A Fregat-M Mission  Astronomy Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  698 x 709 km Eccentricity   Inclination  98.2° Period  98.8 min

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• CHEOPS (Characterising Exoplanets Satellite) is a small satellite, which will target nearby, bright stars already known to have planets orbiting around them.
• Through high-precision monitoring of the star′s brightness, scientists will search for the telltale signs of a ‘transit’ as a planet passes briefly across its face. In turn, this will allow an accurate measurement of the radius of the planet. For those planets with a known mass, the density will be revealed, providing an indication of the internal structure. These key parameters will help scientists to understand the formation of planets from a few times the mass of the Earth – ‘super-Earths’ – up to Neptune-sized worlds. It will also identify planets with significant atmospheres and constrain the migration of planets during the formation and evolution of their parent systems.

Mission details:

• On Dec 18, 2019 Arianespace launched a Soyuz ST-A/Fregat from the Centre Spatial Guyanais to place several satellites in sun-synchronous orbit.
• Fregat′s second burn reached a 443 x 622 km x 98.0 deg orbit; the ASAP-S upper adapter (on which CSG-1 was mounted) was jettisoned. The third burn was to 445 x 829 km, followed by a fourth burn to 696 x 708 km for the deploy of CHEOPS at 1119 UTC.
• CHEOPS is ESA′s Characterizing Exoplanets Satellite. The 273 kg satellite has a 0.3m aperture telescope and will measure the radii of known super-Earth and mini-Neptune exoplanets using transit photometry. The PI is Willy Benz (U. Bern).

External links:

• ESA: Satellite Information
• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking