European Space Agency to launch exoplanet-spotter

The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected a project called Cheops – short for CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite – as the winner of its new process for choosing fast, cheap, space missions. The agency issued its Call for Small Missions in March 2012. Cheops emerged triumphant over 25 other submissions. The ESA says “ …

[solidsoup]

Once we get to 2020s, it's officially the future. What I would like to see is a ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) factory on the moon that uses regolith to fashion a crater into a giant telescope dish. For planet hunting.

Paris, well, because something something resource utilization.

[Robert E A Harvey]

Cheops

Not quite an abbreviation, not quite an acronym. More like a word search puzzle in 1 dimension. That's a pretty desperate way to come up with a memorable name, taking the 'o' from 'exo'.

Good luck with the search, though lads.

[Hardcastle the ancient]

Grin

Word seach - like it!

[Graham Marsden]

Cheops?

Was the award for the project or the most contrived name...?

[Gordon 10]

if its small and cheap

How will its capabilities replace Kepler which presumably was neither......

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: if its small and cheap

Kepler finds the needle in the haystack - this measures the properties of the needle when you know where to look

If you know which local bright stars to look at, you don't care when or in what order it's easier on the spacecraft platform. If you are in low orbit the launch, communications and ground stations are cheaper.