EChO
Encyclopedia
The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) is a proposed space telescope that has been selected for further studies as part of the Cosmic Vision
roadmap of the European Space Agency
, and is competing with three other missions for the M3 slot in the programme.
EChO will be the first dedicated mission to investigate exoplanetary atmospheres, addressing the suitability of those planets for life and placing our Solar System in context. EChO will provide high resolution, multi-wavelength spectroscopic observations. It will measure the atmospheric composition, temperature and albedo of a representative sample of known exoplanets, constrain models of their internal structure and improve our understanding of how planets form and evolve. It will orbit around the L2 Lagrange point, 1.5 million km from Earth in the anti-sunward direction.
Cosmic Vision
The Cosmic Vision is the paraphrasing name given to the roadmap for scientific space based missions of the European Space Agency in the time frame between 2015 and 2025....
roadmap of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
, and is competing with three other missions for the M3 slot in the programme.
EChO will be the first dedicated mission to investigate exoplanetary atmospheres, addressing the suitability of those planets for life and placing our Solar System in context. EChO will provide high resolution, multi-wavelength spectroscopic observations. It will measure the atmospheric composition, temperature and albedo of a representative sample of known exoplanets, constrain models of their internal structure and improve our understanding of how planets form and evolve. It will orbit around the L2 Lagrange point, 1.5 million km from Earth in the anti-sunward direction.