Notes for Editors (Cheops)
Cheops is an ESA mission in partnership with Switzerland, through the Swiss Space Office. The University of Bern leads a consortium of 11 ESA Member States contributing to the mission and represented in the Cheops Science Team.
ESA is the mission architect responsible for overall mission definition and procurement of the spacecraft and launch. ESA is also responsible for the early operations phase, which will be executed by the spacecraft contractor. The science instrument is led by the University of Bern, with important contributions from Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Italy. Other contributions to the science instrument in the form of hardware or science operations are provided by Hungary, and by France, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK, respectively. Following in-orbit commissioning of the spacecraft, responsibility for operations will be taken over by the Cheops Mission Consortium, with the Mission Operations Centre under the responsibility of Spain and the Science Operations Centre led by and located at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.