The balloon mission raising the bar for exoplanet science

The balloon mission raising the bar for exoplanet science

The atmospheres of exoplanets have been a focal point of the field lately, with the James Webb Space Telescope taking a look at as many as it can manage. But time on the world's most powerful space telescope is valuable, and getting a complete picture of any such atmosphere is difficult without that significant time commitment. So a multidisciplinary team of researchers have come up with an alternative mission that is very specialized at capturi…

This Balloon Telescope Could Change How We Study Exoplanets Forever

Exoplanet science has entered an exciting new phase with the development of the EXCITE mission, a groundbreaking project designed to enhance our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres. Unlike large-scale space observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), EXCITE offers a cost-effective alternative for gathering critical data. This mission uses a unique approach, a balloon-based telescope floating at high altitudes, to capture long…