CHEOPS ground segment: Systems and automation for mission and science operations

The CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) is the first European Space Agency (ESA) small-class mission. It has been performing photometric astronomical observations with a particular emphasis on exoplanetary science for the past five years. A distinctive feature of CHEOPS is that the responsibility for all operational aspects of the mission lies with the CHEOPS consortium rather than ESA. As a result, all subsystems, their architecture, and operational processes have been independently developed and tailored specifically to CHEOPS. This paper offers an overview of the CHEOPS operational subsystems, the design, and the automation framework that compose the two main components of the CHEOPS ground segment: the Mission Operations Center (MOC) and the Science Operations Center (SOC). This comprehensive description of the CHEOPS workflow aims to serve as a reference and potential source of inspiration for future small and/or independent space missions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Computing
Published
2025-10-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ascom.2025.101016
Primary Topic
Spacecraft Design and Technology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

CHEOPS ground segment: Systems and automation for mission and science operations

Marcus Kirsch, N. Billot, A. Bekkelien, M. Beck et al.
Astronomy and Computing
Spacecraft Design and Technology
article

CHEOPS ground segment: Systems and automation for mission and science operations

Marcus Kirsch, N. Billot, A. Bekkelien, M. Beck, María Fuentes Tabas, B. Akinsanmi, M. Lendl, Alejandro Isabel Luna-Maldonado, A. Fortier, C. Broeg, A. Heitzmann, Dulce Contreras, D. Ehrenreich, A. Deline, María José González Bonilla, Nuria Alfaro Llorente, Eva Maria Vega Carrasco, Naiara Fernández de Bobadilla Vallano
article en

Abstract

The CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) is the first European Space Agency (ESA) small-class mission. It has been performing photometric astronomical observations with a particular emphasis on exoplanetary science for the past five years. A distinctive feature of CHEOPS is that the responsibility for all operational aspects of the mission lies with the CHEOPS consortium rather than ESA. As a result, all subsystems, their architecture, and operational processes have been independently developed and tailored specifically to CHEOPS. This paper offers an overview of the CHEOPS operational subsystems, the design, and the automation framework that compose the two main components of the CHEOPS ground segment: the Mission Operations Center (MOC) and the Science Operations Center (SOC). This comprehensive description of the CHEOPS workflow aims to serve as a reference and potential source of inspiration for future small and/or independent space missions.

Astronomy and ComputingVol. 54
University of Geneva (CH), University of Bern (CH), European Space Operations Centre (DE), ETH Zurich (CH), Ingeniería de Sistemas para la Defensa de España (ES), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (ES)
Openalex Percentile: Top 57%
Spacecraft Design and Technology
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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