Corot (space mission)

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COROT (COnvection ROtation and planetary Transits) is a space mission approved and led by the French Space Agency (CNES) in conjunction with the European Space Agency. The primary objective of Corot will be to search for extrasolar planets, particularly those of large terrestrial size. It is due to be launched in October, 2006 and will be the first mission of its kind.

Corot will consist of a 30 cm afocal telescope with an array of spectroscopic detectors. The satellite itself will be 668 kg, 4.1 metres long and 2.0 metres in diameter. It will be powered by two solar panels. Launched by a Russian rocket and enter into a circular polar orbit with an altitude of 827 km. Over its planned 2½ years mission it will observe perpendicular to its orbital plane meaning there will be no Earth occulations, allowing 150 days of continuous observing. During the northern Summer it will observe in an area around Serpens Cauda and during the Winter it will observe in Monoceros. Between this observing periods for 30 days, Corot will observe 5 other patches of the sky.

The probe will monitor the brightness of stars, watching for the slight dimming that happens in regular intervals when planets transit their primary. Corot will be sensitive enough to detect rocky planets, though only those several times larger than Earth; it is also expected to discover new gas giants, which comprise almost all of the known extra-solar planets.

Corot will also undertake asteroseismology. It will be able to detect starquakes that send ripples across a stars' surfaces, altering their luminosity. This phenomenon allows calculation of a star's precise mass, age and chemical composition and will aid in comparisons between the sun and other stars.

In each field of view there will be one main target star for the asteroseismology as well as up to nine other targets. Simultaneously, it will be recording the brightness of 12,000 stars brighter than apparent magnitude 15.5 for the extrasolar planet study. It is expected that a few dozen planets will be found.

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