Exoplanet systems
ARIEL
ESA’s Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey mission will study the atmospheres of a large sample of exoplanets.
Planned; ESA’s official factsheet keeps Ariel in a 2029 launch plan, but the mission still lacks a fixed launch day.
Official mission site ↗The mission
Ariel is ESA’s Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey mission. During its planned four-year survey, Ariel will observe about 1,000 planets orbiting distant stars to build the first large-scale chemical census of exoplanet atmospheres and study clouds and atmospheric variability.
The launch
- Launch
- 2029
- Launch location
- Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
- Launch vehicle
- Ariane 62
- Orbit
- Sun-Earth L2
Mission timeline
Official factsheet
Current overview
ESA’s factsheet describes Ariel’s mission theme, current status, and 2029 launch planning.
Open milestone source ↗Objectives
- 01
Survey the chemistry of a large sample of exoplanet atmospheres.
- 02
Study clouds and temporal atmospheric variations on selected exoplanets.
Spacecraft
ARIEL
Infrared observatory designed to perform a large-scale atmospheric survey of exoplanets.
- Manufacturer
- ESA industrial consortium
Gallery
2 images from ARIEL.
Community discussion
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