Cheops satellite

Note: This is a superseded artist's impression. A more recent rendering of the spacecraft is available here.

Artist’s impression of ESA’s Cheops astronomy satellite. 

Cheops is a small space telescope dedicated to observing nearby stars that are already known to have planets. Through very precise measurements of the slight dimming of the stars as the planets pass in front of them, astronomers will be able to determine the sizes of the planets and learn more about how planetary systems form.

The satellite is being built as a collaboration between ESA and a consortium of European countries led by Switzerland.