The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
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The right ascension of COROT’s orbit plane (12.5°) has been chosen after a ground preparatory observation campaign: COROT will look in the sky at 6:50 in winter and 18:50 in summer.
Thanks to its telescope's baffle efficiency, it is possible to get closer to the Earth limb direction and thus orientate the satellite inside a cone with a 10-degree radius. When projected onto the sky, this cone draws the two eyes of COROT, where the stellar fields to be observed will be selected .