European Space Agency Launched a Satellite That Would Study Planets Outside Solar System
The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a satellite that would study planets beyond the bounds of our solar system. The satellite which was named 'Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite' (CHEOPS) was taken into orbit by a Russian Soyuz rocket from Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.
CHEOPS, which is a joint effort of 11 European Space Agency (ESA) member states and led by Switzerland was launched to study "exoplanets" or planets outside our solar system. It will also follow up on previous missions and aims to reveal discoveries that would help us better understand the distant worlds.
The satellite was successfully deployed into Earth 2.5 hours after liftoff. It will orbit around Earth and will measure the density, composition, and size of various exoplanets.
Prof. Didier Queloz, the winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Physics, was one of those who oversaw the launch. He and his colleague were the first to identify the first exoplanet in 1995.