Mission: Characterize known transiting exoplanets orbiting bright stars
Status: In operation. Launched 18 December 2019

CHEOPS is an ESA/ASI mission dedicated to studying known exoplanets with unprecedented precision. The heart of the instrument is a high-performance Ritchey-Chrétien telescope designed for ultra-precise photometry.

HST’s Contribution: High-Precision Opto-Mechanical Assembly

HST played a key role in the mission by performing the opto-mechanical assembly of the Primary Mirror, featuring a 320 mm optical aperture. Our work focused on ensuring the highest structural stability and alignment accuracy, critical for the telescope’s ability to detect minute variations in stellar brightness.