The Hunt for Exoplanets

There are over 3000 confirmed planets outside our Solar System. In 2018 these exoplanets will come under further scrutiny when the CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExoPlanet Satellite) mission launches from the European spaceport in French Guiana. ESA’s CHEOPS space telescope, in partnership with Switzerland, will measure the transits of known exoplanets and, together with the ESPRESSO instrument at the University of Geneva, help identify other Earth-like planets in our Solar System.