// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Exoplanet
A planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system. Thousands have been discovered, ranging widely in size and composition.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
An exoplanet, or extrasolar planet, is a celestial body orbiting a star other than the Sun, detected through methods like transit photometry or radial velocity, offering insights into planetary formation and potential extraterrestrial life.
BACKGROUND
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. It is the largest telescope in space, and is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. This enables investigations across many fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observation of the first stars and the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Extrasolar planet
- alien planet
USAGE NOTE
The search for exoplanets is central to astrobiology and the quest for habitable worlds.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Exoplanet.
NASA leads numerous missions and research initiatives focused on detecting, characterizing, and understanding exoplanets, including the Kepler, TESS, and James Webb Space Telescope programs.
ESA develops and operates several missions dedicated to exoplanet research, such as CHEOPS, PLATO, and Ariel, contributing significantly to the discovery and characterization of planets outside our solar system.
STScI conducts the science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, both of which are critical for observing and characterizing exoplanets and their atmospheres.
Northrop Grumman was the prime contractor for the James Webb Space Telescope, developing key technologies and assembling the observatory that is now delivering unprecedented data on exoplanet atmospheres.
Ball Aerospace develops sophisticated optical systems and instruments for space missions, including those crucial for exoplanet detection and characterization aboard spacecraft like Kepler, TESS, and James Webb Space Telescope.
MIT's researchers and labs, particularly the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, played a leading role in the development and operation of the TESS mission for exoplanet discovery and continue to conduct extensive exoplanet research.
The SETI Institute conducts scientific research and public outreach related to the search for life beyond Earth, including significant work on exoplanet detection, characterization, and habitability.