Ariel ESA Exoplanet Mission

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Ariel moves from blueprint to reality

ESA’s exoplanet mission Ariel, scheduled for launch in 2029, has moved from study to implementation phase, following which an industrial contractor will be selected to build the spacecraft.

www.esa.int

Notice the mention at the end of another forthcoming ESA mission Comet Interceptor.

 

[Flyaway]

Lot more on this mission in this article.

The European Space Agency formally adopts Ariel, the exoplanet explorer | University of Oxford

The European Space Agency (ESA) have formally adopted Ariel, the first mission dedicated to study the nature, formation and evolution of exoplanets. More than 50 institutes from 17 countries, including the University of Oxford, have been working over the past five years to develop the science...

www.ox.ac.uk

 

[Flyaway]

Exoplanet surveyor Ariel passes major milestone

 

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Comet Interceptor’s probe proves structurally sound

Preparing for launch in 2029, ESA’s Comet Interceptor mission is currently in the building and testing stage of development. What you see here is the Structural Qualification Model (SQM) of Probe B2, one of the two small probes that will detach from the main spacecraft when the mission’s target comet is nearby.