Cheops—the Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Swiss Space Office—launched successfully on Wednesday, delayed a day after a technical glitch during Tuesday’s final countdown. A 30-centimetre telescope aboard the satellite will collect information on planets outside Earth’s solar system, or exoplanets, known to be orbiting stars. (The Guardian)

Talking point: The mission aims to take exoplanet science to “a whole new level,” according to Günther Hasinger, ESA’s director of science. While previous missions, like NASA’s Kepler, aimed to locate and identify new exoplanets, Cheops will focus on characterizing the physical and chemical properties of known planets in hopes of identifying how they formed, as well as their atmospheric conditions. The information Cheops collects hopes to add to our understanding of the conditions required for extraterrestrial life and the origins of Earth itself.