CoRoT

For other uses, see Corot (disambiguation).

CoRoT
The CoRoT satellite in the integration hall of Thales Alenia Space, Cannes
Mission typeSpace telescope
OperatorCNES / ESA
COSPAR ID2006-063A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.29678
Websitecorot.cnes.fr
Mission durationPlanned: 2.5 + 4 years
Final: 7 years, 5 months, 20 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerCNES
Thales Alenia Space
Launch mass630 kg (1,390 lb)
Payload mass300 kg (660 lb)
Dimensions2 m × 4 m (6.6 ft × 13.1 ft)
Power≈380 W
Start of mission
Launch date27 December 2006, 14:24 (2006-12-27UTC14:24) UTC
RocketSoyuz 2.1b Fregat
Launch siteBaikonur LC-31/6
ContractorArianespace
Starsem
End of mission
DisposalDecommissioned
Deactivated17 June 2014, 10:27 (2014-06-17UTC10:28) UTC[1]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimePolar
Semi-major axis7,123 km (4,426 mi)[2]
Eccentricity0.0203702[2]
Perigee altitude607.8 km (377.7 mi)[2]
Apogee altitude898.1 km (558.1 mi)[2]
Inclination90.0336 degrees[2]
Period99.7 minutes[2]
RAAN13.64 degrees[2]
Argument of perigee148.21 degrees[2]
Mean anomaly213.16 degrees[2]
Mean motion14.44 rev/day[2]
Epoch8 March 2016, 11:58:39 UTC[2]
Revolution no.47715
Main telescope
TypeAfocal
Diameter27 cm (11 in)
Focal length1.1 m (43 in)
WavelengthsVisible light

CoRoT (French: Convection, Rotation et Transits planétaires; English: Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits) was a space telescope mission which operated from 2006 to 2013. The mission's two objectives were to search for extrasolar planets with short orbital periods, particularly those of large terrestrial size, and to perform asteroseismology by measuring solar-like oscillations in stars.[3] The mission was led by the French Space Agency (CNES) in conjunction with the European Space Agency (ESA) and other international partners.

Among the notable discoveries was CoRoT-7b, discovered in 2009 which became the first exoplanet shown to have a rock or metal-dominated composition.

CoRoT was launched at 14:28:00 UTC on 27 December 2006, atop a Soyuz 2.1b rocket,[4][5][6] reporting first light on 18 January 2007.[7] Subsequently, the probe started to collect science data on 2 February 2007.[8] CoRoT was the first spacecraft dedicated to the detection of transiting extrasolar planets, opening the way for more advanced probes such as Kepler and TESS. It detected its first extrasolar planet, CoRoT-1b, in May 2007,[9] just 3 months after the start of the observations. Mission flight operations were originally scheduled to end 2.5 years from launch[10] but operations were extended to 2013.[11] On 2 November 2012, CoRoT suffered a computer failure that made it impossible to retrieve any data from its telescope.[12] Repair attempts were unsuccessful, so on 24 June 2013 it was announced that CoRoT had been retired and would be decommissioned; lowered in orbit to allow it to burn up in the atmosphere.[13]

  1. ^ "Events Archive: Last telecommand sent to Corot satellite". CNES. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "COROT Satellite details 2006-063A NORAD 29678". N2YO. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Europe goes searching for rocky planets" (Press release). ESA. 26 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  4. ^ "Successful launch of the CoRoT satellite, on 27 December 2006". COROT 2006 Events. CNES. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  5. ^ Clark, S. (27 December 2006). "Planet-hunting space telescope launched". SpaceflightNow.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  6. ^ Bergin, C. (27 December 2006). "Soyuz 2-1B launches with CoRoT". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  7. ^ Hellemans, A. (18 January 2007). "COROT sees first light". Physics World. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  8. ^ "COROT all set to begin science mission". CNES. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference ESAFirstPlanet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference COROTSat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "CoRoT Mission Extended Until 2013". SpaceDaily.com. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  12. ^ Hand, E. (16 November 2012). "Exoplanet hunter nears its end". Nature News. doi:10.1038/nature.2012.11845. S2CID 124190084.
  13. ^ "Retirement for planet-hunting space probe". SpaceDaily.com. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2016.