CHEOPS in-flight performance: A comprehensive look at the first 3.5 yr of operations
Journal article, 2024
Context. Since the discovery of the first exoplanet almost three decades ago, the number of known exoplanets has increased dramatically. By beginning of the 2000s it was clear that dedicated facilities to advance our studies in this field were needed. The CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) is a space telescope specifically designed to monitor transiting exoplanets orbiting bright stars. In September 2023, CHEOPS completed its nominal mission duration of 3.5 yr and remains in excellent operational conditions. As a testament to this, the mission has been extended until the end of 2026. Aims. Scientific and instrumental data have been collected throughout in-orbit commissioning and nominal operations, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the missiona's performance. In this article, we present the results of this analysis with a twofold goal. First, we aim to inform the scientific community about the present status of the mission and what can be expected as the instrument ages. Secondly, we intend for this publication to serve as a legacy document for future missions, providing insights and lessons learned from the successful operation of CHEOPS. Methods. To evaluate the instrument performance in flight, we developed a comprehensive monitoring and characterisation (M&C) programme. It consists of dedicated observations that allow us to characterise the instrumenta's response and continuously monitor its behaviour. In addition to the standard collection of nominal science and housekeeping data, these observations provide valuable input for detecting, modelling, and correcting instrument systematics, discovering and addressing anomalies, and comparing the instrumenta's actual performance with expectations. Results. The precision of the CHEOPS measurements has enabled the mission objectives to be met and exceeded. The satellitea's performance remains stable and reliable, ensuring accurate data collection throughout its operational life. Careful modelling of the instrumental systematics allows the data quality to be significantly improved during the light curve analysis phase, resulting in more precise scientific measurements. Conclusions. CHEOPS is compliant with the driving scientific requirements of the mission. Although visible, the ageing of the instrument has not affected the missiona's performance. The satellitea's capabilities remain robust, and we are confident that we will continue to acquire high-quality data during the mission extension.
Telescopes
Techniques: photometric
Planets and satellites: Terrestrial planets
Space vehicles: instruments
Planets and satellites: detection
Author
A. Fortier
University of Bern
A.E. Simon
University of Bern
C. Broeg
University of Bern
G. Olofsson
Stockholm University
A. Deline
University of Geneva
T.G. Wilson
The University of Warwick
P. Maxted
Keele University
A. Collier Cameron
University of St Andrews
A. Brandeker
Stockholm University
M. Beck
University of Geneva
A. Bekkelien
University of Geneva
A. Bonfanti
Austrian Academy of Sciences
N. Billot
University of Geneva
L. Delrez
University of Liège
B.O. Demory
University of Bern
G. Bruno
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
D. Futyan
University of Geneva
J. Cabrera
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
A. Heitzmann
University of Geneva
K. Isaak
European Space Agency (ESA)
S.G. Sousa
University of Porto
H.-G. Florén
Stockholm University
A. Turin
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
Maximilian N. Günther
European Space Agency (ESA)
P. Verhoeve
European Space Agency (ESA)
B. Akinsanmi
University of Geneva
R. Alonso
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
S. Hoyer
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
D. Bánhidi
University of Szeged / Szegedi Tudományegyetem
T. Bárczy
Admatis
M. Stalport
University of Liège
D. Barrado
Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB)
Y. Alibert
University of Bern
S. Charnoz
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
S.C.C. Barros
University of Porto
B. Cseh
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
W. Baumjohann
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
T.A. Baycroft
University of Birmingham
M. B. Davies
Lund University
T. Beck
University of Bern
Y.T. Davis
University of Birmingham
O. Demangeon
University of Porto
W. Benz
University of Bern
A. Derekas
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
B.I. Bíró
University of Szeged / Szegedi Tudományegyetem
Georgina Dransfield
University of Birmingham
A. Bódi
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Anders Erikson
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
X. Bonfils
Domaine universitaire de Grenoble
C. Fariña
University of La Laguna
L. Borsato
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
L. Fossati
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
Szilard Csizmadia
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
D. Gandolfi
University of Turin
Michaël Gillon
University of Liège
I. Csányi
University of Szeged / Szegedi Tudományegyetem
M.A. Gómez-Muñoz
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
P. E. Cubillos
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
M. Deleuil
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
T. Pribulla
Slovak Academy of Sciences
Don L. Pollacco
The University of Warwick
D. Queloz
University of Cambridge
N. Rando
European Space Agency (ESA)
I. Ribas
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
L. Sabin
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
R. Petrucci
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas
P.P. Pedersen
University of Cambridge
E. Ducrot
University Paris-Saclay
J. Venturini
University of Geneva
L.J. Garcia
University of Liège
Y. Gómez Maqueo Chew
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
S. Udry
University of Geneva
D. Kilkenny
University of the Western Cape
Veronica Granata
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
Z. Garai
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Cs. Kalup
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
V. Van Grootel
University of Liège
L. L. Kiss
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
L. Kriskovics
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
M. Gudel
University of Vienna
D. Ehrenreich
University of Geneva
Malcolm Fridlund
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
K. W.F. Lam
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
J. Laskar
Paris Observatory
P. Guterman
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
T. Hegedüs
University of Szeged / Szegedi Tudományegyetem
A. Lopez Pina
Airbus Group
D. Wolter
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
R. Wells
University of Bern
N. A. Walton
University of Cambridge
J. Vinkó
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
E. Villaver
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
M. Timmermans
University of Liège
Nicolas Thomas
University of Bern
M.R. Standing
University of Birmingham
A. M.S. Smith
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
D. Segransan
University of Geneva
O.J. Scutt
University of Birmingham
N. Schanche
University of Maryland
Gaetano Scandariato
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
N. C. Santos
University of Porto
Enric Palle
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Ch. Helling
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
Amaury Triaud
University of Birmingham
Emmanuel Jehin
University of Liège
R. Szakáts
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
B. Seli
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
A. Pál
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
R. Southworth
European Space Agency (ESA)
Gy M. Szabó
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
D. Sebastian
University of Birmingham
U. Schroffenegger
University of Bern
R. Ottensamer
University of Vienna
H. Rauer
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
A. L. des Etangs
Institut d 'Astrophysique de Paris
Roberto Ragazzoni
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
H. Ottacher
Institut fur Weltraumforschung
M. Lendl
University of Geneva
A. Pizarro-Rubio
Airbus Group
A. Luntzer
University of Vienna
Giampaolo P. Piotto
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
N.J. Miller
Keele University
G. Peter
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
A. Pasetti
High Tech Center 1
D. Magrin
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
I. Pagano
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
D. Modrego Contreras
Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial
C. Mordasini
University of Bern
M. Munari
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
C.A. Murray
University of Colorado
Valerio Nascimbeni
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
Astronomy and Astrophysics
0004-6361 (ISSN) 1432-0746 (eISSN)
Vol. 687 A302Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Aerospace Engineering
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Other Physics Topics
DOI
10.1051/0004-6361/202348576