Abstract
Both groups concluded that an intermediate step was needed, both scientifically and technically, before the characterisation of Earth-like planets could be tackled, and recommended a transit spectroscopy mission as a first step to atmospheric characterisation. A short study was undertaken at ESTEC in the context of the ExoPlanet Roadmap Advisory Team mandate under the name ESM (Exoplanet Spectroscopy Mission). Following this study the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) was proposed and accepted for assessment phase study in the context of the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme M3 medium class mission opportunity. Although eventually not selected, the EChO study1 allowed further development of the technical building blocks and the science case for an eventual transit spectroscopy mission.
In response to the call for the next medium class opportunity, Cosmic Vision M4, a proposal was submitted in January 2015: the Atmospheric Remote-sensing InfraRed Large-survey (ARIEL). The mission was one of the three selected in June 2015 for study in a Phase 0/A, a competitive assessment phase2. ARIEL was eventually selected as M4 in March 2018, and went into Phase B1, the definition study phase. The name of the mission has been changed to Ariel after selection.
During Phase B1, the science case was studied in depth and consolidated under auspices of the Science Advisory Team, the bulk of the work being performed in a large number of science working groups in the Ariel Mission Consortium (AMC). The ESA Study Team and AMC reviewed the mission requirements, the technical design and analysis of the complete payload module (including telescope, instruments, guidance system and supporting infrastructure). The AMC developed an end-to-end performance simulator of the complete system. Two industrial contractors (Airbus Defence and Space, France and ThalesAlenia Space, France) reviewed the mission requirements, the technical design and analysis of the s/c and performed a programmatic analysis of the mission. Dedicated iterations were done in conjunction with both industrial and payload studies to harmonise the interfaces between the s/c and the payload, and to consolidate the payload accommodation. Recently the ESA Mission Adoption Review has successfully been concluded.
This definition study report presents a summary of the very large body of work that has been undertaken on the Ariel mission over the 30-month period of the Ariel definition phase. As such, it represents the contributions of a large number of parties (ESA, industry, institutes and universities from 17 ESA member states, NASA CASE team), encompassing a very large number of people.
The successful public Ariel: Science, Mission & Community 2020 workshop was held in ESTEC, Noordwijk, on 14-16 January 2020 (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/ariel/conference-2020). Over 200 participants from 19 countries attended the conference which had the objectives to present the mission and its science asproposed for mission adoption, and involve the planetary and astrophysical community at large in the mission. Presentations and discussions addressed how Ariel can work in conjunction with other ground-based and space-based observatories to best further our knowledge of exoplanetary science.In the six years since Ariel was first conceived in 2014, the number of confirmed exoplanets has increased from ~1000 to over 4300, providing an ever more tantalising prospect of looking beyond our solar system and enabling planetary science across light years.
Original language | English |
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Publisher | European Space Agency |
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Number of pages | 137 |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |