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#20 by Salo on 19 Dec, 2017 12:01
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https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/943090673963630592Quote
Peter B. de Selding @pbdes
Exoplanet hunter CHEOPS sat, built by @AirbusSpace for @esa, to launch late 2018/early 2019 on @ArianeGroup @Arianespace Soyuz from Europe's spaceport. To launch w/ Italy's 1st 2d-gen Cosmo-SkyMed radar sat. CHEOPS is 300kg, orbit 700km, inclination 98deg. -
#21 by bolun on 31 Mar, 2018 17:33
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CHEOPS fairing sticker winning design
This colourful design capturing the scientific essence of ESA's upcoming CHEOPS exoplanet mission – characterising planets as they transit in front of their host star – has been selected as the winning design that will be featured on the rocket that will launch the satellite into space.
The design was one of over 300 submitted to the competition that offered graphic designers and artists the unique opportunity to feature their work on the rocket that will launch CHEOPS – the CHaracterising ExOplanets Satellite – to Earth orbit.
The design was created by Denis Vrenko of Celje, Slovenia, a 25 year-old graphic designer and final-year architecture student at the University of Ljubljana.
- Related article: Winning exoplanet rocket sticker-selected
http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60129-cheops-fairing-sticker-winning-design/
Image credit: ESA/D. Vrenko
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#22 by bolun on 06 May, 2018 19:50
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#11: PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER: THE CHEOPS SCIENCE INSTRUMENT ARRIVES IN MADRID
03 May 2018 14:00
Members of the CHEOPS consortium could be proud of their achievement as the science instrument of the upcoming exoplanet mission left Bern on its journey to Madrid last month.
The science instrument and its tailor-made handling equipment left Switzerland by truck in six containers, designed to provide protection from shock, moisture and dust, on 10 April 2018. Its safe arrival in Spain the following day marked a key milestone for the CHEOPS project and enabled Airbus Defence and Space Spain, the prime contractor that has designed the spacecraft, to integrate the science instrument and the spacecraft platform and begin test activities.
http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60249-11-putting-things-together-the-cheops-science-instrument-arrives-in-madrid/
Image credit: Airbus Defence and Space Spain
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#23 by Star One on 08 May, 2018 15:28
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Preparing CHEOPS
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#24 by bolun on 15 May, 2018 20:28
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N° 9–2018: CALL FOR MEDIA: MEET EUROPE’S EXOPLANET SATELLITE CHEOPS
13 May 2018
Media are invited to join experts of the Characterising Exoplanets Satellite, Cheops, at Airbus Defence and Space in Madrid, Spain, for a unique opportunity to visit the spacecraft in the clean room on 22 May.
Cheops will make observations of exoplanet-hosting stars to measure small changes in their brightness due to the transit of a planet across the star disc. The information will help to reveal the size of planets circling other stars, especially those in the Earth-to-Neptune mass range – a first step to characterising planets outside our Solar System.
The science instrument that will make these measurements recently arrived at Airbus in Madrid, following testing at the University of Bern in Switzerland, for integration with the spacecraft platform. This includes being combined with the solar panels, thrusters, radio transmitters and reaction wheels needed for power, propulsion, communications and attitude control, respectively.
The completed satellite is currently undergoing essential tests and checks at Airbus as part of launch preparations. It will only be there for a few weeks before moving on for final thermal, vibration and acoustic testing in various locations across Europe. Final checks will be conducted when it returns in October, and then it will be packed and prepared for shipment to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Cheops, which is implemented as a partnership between ESA and Switzerland, is on track to be ready for launch by the end of the year.
This event offers one of the first – and last – opportunities for media to view the complete satellite before its launch.
Programme
(All times CEST)
10:30 Arrival to Antares Room at Airbus
11:00 Welcome by José Guillamón, Head of Site and Airbus Space Systems in Spain
11:05 Nicola Rando, Cheops project manager
Introduction to Cheops and status update
11:15 Andrés Borges, Cheops Programme Manager at Airbus
Insights from industry and future steps towards launch and in-orbit commissioning
11:25 Ignasi Ribas, Institut de Ciències de l’Espai & Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, Barcelona
Cheops science and contribution to exoplanet studies
11:35Eva María Vega Carrasco, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Madrid
Mission operations
11:45 Q&A
12:00 onwards
Photo and video opportunity in the clean room to view Cheops.
Accreditation
Media can register by writing to [email protected] and will be asked to complete a registration form. Photo and video cameras are also to be registered.
Location
Airbus (Antares Room)
Avenida de Aragón 404
28022 Madrid
More about Cheops: http://sci.esa.int/cheops/
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#25 by Chris Bergin on 03 Jul, 2018 13:30
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Airbus complete integration work:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/07/esa-exoplanet-hunter-cheops-depart-spain-pre-launch-testing/ -
#26 by bolun on 07 Jul, 2018 15:34
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The integrated CHEOP satellite
The integrated CHEOPS satellite in the cleanroom of Airbus Defence and Space Spain in Madrid, before the installation of the solar arrays.
The spacecraft will be shipped in July to Airbus EVT in Toulouse, France, to undergo thermal tests. It will then travel on to RUAG in Zurich, Switzerland, for vibration tests, and further to ESA's technical centre in The Netherlands, for acoustic and electromagnetic compatibility tests. Finally, it will come back to Airbus Defence and Space Spain in Madrid, where the last system validation test will be performed to check readiness for the launch and early operations phase of the mission.
http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60487-the-integrated-cheops-satellite/
Related article:
- #12: From star positions to images: CHEOPS operations centres pull together
Image credit: Airbus 2018
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#27 by jacqmans on 09 Jul, 2018 17:05
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High Res.
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#28 by bolun on 29 Aug, 2018 06:19
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Cheops plaques
Two titanium plaques etched with thousands of miniaturised drawings made by children have been fixed to the CHaracterizing ExOPlanets Satellite, Cheops. Each plaque measures nearly 18 cm across and 24 cm high.
The plaques, prepared by a team at the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Burgdorf, Switzerland, were unveiled in a dedicated ceremony at RUAG on 27 August 2018.
Related article: Artwork unveiled on exoplanet satellite
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/08/Cheops_plaques
Image credit: G. Bucher – Bern University of Applied Sciences
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#29 by bolun on 01 Sep, 2018 12:05
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#13: CHEOPS – CHILLED AND CHECKED, SHAKEN AND NOT STIRRED
31 August 2018 10:00
This summer, the CHEOPS satellite breezed through thermal tests in France and vibration tests in Switzerland, demonstrating that it is ready to operate in the extreme cold of space and also fit to withstand the mechanical stresses of launch.
http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60575-13-cheops-chilled-and-checked-shaken-and-not-stirred/
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#30 by jacqmans on 26 Sep, 2018 12:27
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Cheops inside LEAF chamber
ESA’s exoplanet-surveying Cheops satellite, with its distinctive main telescope instrument, seen being prepared for testing within ESA’s Large European Acoustic Facility (LEAF) at the Agency’s ESTEC Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands this month.
LEAF can subject satellites to the same volume of noise a launcher produces as it takes off and flies through the atmosphere. One wall of the chamber – which stands 11 m wide by 9 m deep and 16.4 m high – incorporates a set of enormous sound horns. Nitrogen shot through the horns can produce a range of noise up to more than 154 decibels, like standing close to multiple jets taking off.
ESA’s Cheops satellite will measure the sizes of known exoplanets by detecting tiny fluctuations in the light of their parent stars. Cheops, or ‘CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite’, combines a state-of-the-art scientific performance with a compact design – 1.5 m by 1.4 m by 1.5 m in size, it weighs in at about 300 kg fully fuelled – allowing it to be flown as a secondary passenger on a Soyuz launcher inside its ASAP-S adapter.
A test version of Cheops – its ‘structural qualification model’ plus ‘instrument structural and thermal model’ – underwent previous LEAF testing back in November 2015. Once its acoustic testing was complete this final Cheops ‘flight model’ went on to electromagnetic compatibility testing in ESA’s Maxwell facility.
Once its test campaign is complete, the satellite is scheduled for launch readiness at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana early next year.
Credits: ESA - G. Porter
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#31 by eeergo on 24 Oct, 2018 13:48
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#32 by jacqmans on 26 Oct, 2018 14:42
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Cheops_in_Maxwell_chamber
ESA’s exoplanet-characterising Cheops satellite being prepared for electromagnetic compatibility testing inside the Maxwell chamber at ESTEC, the Agency’s technical heart in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
Once the chamber’s main door is sealed, Maxwell’s 12 m-high metal walls form a ‘Faraday Cage’, blocking electromagnetic signals from outside. The ‘anechoic’ foam pyramids covering its interior absorb internal signals – as well as sound – to prevent any reflection, mimicking the infinite void of space.
Once switched on Cheops was illuminated with a two-way radio beam. The satellite was then rotated and tilted through various angles to detect any potentially harmful electromagnetic ‘cross-talk’ that might occur between its subsystems. Testing also ruled out any radio emissions arising from the satellite that might interfere with its launcher during its rise to orbit.
ESA’s Cheops satellite will measure the sizes of known exoplanets by detecting tiny fluctuations in the light of their parent stars. Cheops, or ‘CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite’, combines a state-of-the-art scientific performance with a compact design – 1.5 m by 1.4 m by 1.5 m in size, it weighs in at about 300 kg fully fuelled – allowing it to be flown as a secondary passenger on a Soyuz launcher inside its ASAP-S adapter.
Last month, once its ESTEC test campaign was complete, Cheops left ESTEC for Airbus Defence & Space’s facility in Madrid to undergo further evaluation, including testing of its solar arrays, a ‘leak check’ of its propulsion module and a fit-check with its launcher adapter.
Once all tests are done, the satellite is planned for launch next year from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
ESA–G. Porter
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#33 by zubenelgenubi on 27 Oct, 2018 16:04
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Update from SFN launch schedule page, updated October 25:
CSG 1 and CHEOPS launch listed for "early 2019." -
#34 by bolun on 24 Nov, 2018 08:53
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Exoplanet mission launch slot announced
23 November 2018
The Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, CHEOPS, will target 15 October to 14 November 2019 for launch.
CHEOPS will lift off on a Soyuz rocket operated by Arianespace from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, sharing the ride into space with a satellite that is part of the Italian Cosmo-SkyMed constellation. The two satellites will separate in turn into their own orbits soon after ascent, with CHEOPS operating in a low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 700 km.
http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60949-exoplanet-mission-launch-slot-announced/ -
#35 by Rik ISS-fan on 24 Nov, 2018 18:20
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So the launch has been delayed for nearly a year.
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#36 by jacqmans on 12 Mar, 2019 08:17
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Cheops in the clean room
The copper-coloured baffle cover of our Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, Cheops, in the clean room at Airbus Defence and Space Spain, Madrid.
After completing spacecraft testing, the satellite has passed a very important review that determined it is ready to fly. Cheops will be stored in Madrid for a few months before being shipped to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana; launch is scheduled in the time slot between 15 October and 14 November.
The baffle cover pictured in this image is designed to protect the satellite’s scientific instrument – a powerful camera, or photometer – during assembly and launch. Once in space, the cover will open, allowing light from stars to enter the telescope.
Cheops will make observations of exoplanet-hosting stars to measure small changes in their brightness due to the transit of a planet across the star's disc, targeting in particular stars hosting planets in the Earth-to-Neptune size range. The information will enable precise measurements of the sizes of the orbiting planets to be made: combined with measurements of the planet masses, this will provide an estimate of their mean density – a first step to characterising planets outside our Solar System.
Cheops paves the way for the next generation of ESA’s exoplanet satellites, with two further missions – Plato and Ariel– planned for the next decade to tackle different aspects of the evolving field of exoplanet science.
Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja
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#37 by jacqmans on 19 Mar, 2019 14:08
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Press Release N°02-2019
19 March 2019
Call for media: Cheops ready for launch in October
The Cheops mission, ESA’s first mission dedicated to the study of exoplanets, is scheduled to lift off on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, within the launch slot 15 October – 14 November 2019.
Media representatives are invited to apply for accreditation to visit the spacecraft, which is in the clean rooms of Airbus in Madrid, on 29 March, before it goes into storage ahead of its shipment to Kourou later this year.
The satellite will observe bright stars that are known to host exoplanets, in particular those in the Earth-to-Neptune size range. By targeting known planets, Cheops can plan exactly where in the sky to point and when to catch the exoplanet as it transits across the disk of its host star. Its ability to observe multiple transits of each planet will enable scientists to achieve the high-precision transit signatures that are needed to measure the sizes of planets in this range.
The combination of the precise sizes determined by Cheops with masses determined from other measurements will be used to establish the bulk density of the planets, placing constraints on their composition. These data, together with information on the host stars and the planet orbits, will provide key insight into the formation and evolutionary history of planets larger than Earth and smaller than Neptune.
Cheops is an ESA mission implemented in partnership with Switzerland and a number of other Member States, including Spain.
Experts will present the mission, its technical challenges and scientific goals during a dedicated programme for media at Airbus. The spacecraft will be visible through a large window. Because of safety regulations, only few TV broadcasters will be allowed into the cleanroom.
The event will be conducted in English language.
Provisional schedule at Airbus Madrid, 29 March
(all times in local CET)
14:30 Doors open
15:00 Fernando Varela, Head of Site and Airbus Space Systems in Spain – Welcome
15:05 Rafael Rodrigo, General Secretary for Coordination of Science Policy of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – The importance of Space Science in Spain
15:10 Juan Carlos Cortes, Director of European Programmes, Space and Technological Return at CDTI - The role of Spain in Cheops
15:15 Günther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science – Cheops: the first of three ESA exoplanet missions and its importance for our science programme
15:25 Nicola Rando, ESA Cheops project manager – Status of the project and what lies ahead
15:35 Andres Borges, Airbus Cheops project manager – Steps towards launch
15:45 Ignasi Ribas, Cheops science team, Spanish National Research Council & Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia – The role of Cheops within the current challenges of exoplanet science
15:55 Christopher Broeg, Consortium Cheops Project Manager, University of Bern –The science of Cheops, the Cheops instrument and operations
16:05 Q&A
16:30 Photo and video opportunity of the satellite situated in the clean room
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#38 by Tywin on 19 Mar, 2019 17:36
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Recent interview about the mission
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#39 by bolun on 26 Mar, 2019 20:08
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Exoplanet mission timeline – Cheops
The Cheops mission in the context of previous and future space missions dedicated to exoplanet science (top) and exoplanet-sensitive missions (bottom).
The Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, Cheops, will observe bright stars known to host exoplanets, in particular Earth-to-Neptune-sized planets, anywhere in the sky. By knowing exactly where and when to look for transits, and being able to return to repeatedly observe the same targets, Cheops will become the most efficient instrument to study individual exoplanets. It will record the precise sizes of these relatively small planets and combined with mass measurements already calculated from other observatories, will enable the planet's density to be determined, and thus make a first-step characterisation of the nature of these worlds.
Cheops will also identify candidates for additional study by future missions. For example, it will provide well-characterised targets for the international James Webb Space Telescope, which will perform further detailed studies of their atmospheres.
https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2019/03/Exoplanet_mission_timeline_Cheops
Image credit: ESA
