OREANDA-NEWS. October 9, 2008. COROT is a mission led by the French Space Agency (CNES), with contributions from ESA, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Brazil. It was launched in December 2006 on Russian Soyuz launcher produced by TsSKB-Progress company, Samara. COROT carries a 27-cm aperture telescope designed to detect tiny changes in brightness from nearby stars. The mission`s main objectives are to search for exoplanets and to study stellar interiors.

In 1.5 years scientists speak about the successful mission findings. COROT managed to find several planets similar to our Earth.

COROT will continue its mission for 1 more year, searching for Earth-like planets. Ultimately, the goal is to obtain an image of an Earth-like planet and spectroscopically analyse its atmosphere to tell whether there`s oxygen, ozone, carbon dioxide and water vapour in its atmosphere. Next missions to search for exoplanets may be flown from the space port in French Guiana, which is constructed now by the European experts together with specialists from Samara.