Wrapping up a very busy year in space, the European Space Agency successfully launched the CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) telescope yesterday.



ESA CHEOPS Mission Overview.



Rather than searching for new exoplanets, CHEOPS has a very specific job: to meticulously measure the exact sizes of planets we already know are orbiting bright nearby stars. By combining this size data with known mass, scientists can calculate the planet's density, telling us whether it is a rocky world like Earth or a gas dwarf like Neptune. It is a vital next step in our ongoing quest to find habitable worlds out there in the dark.