The European Space Agency’s exoplanet mission Ariel, whose scientific leadership is provided by UCL, is to receive a £30 million investment from the UK.

The funding from the UK Space Agency is part of a new agreement signed by ESA member states to confirm roles for the mission. The UK signature was provided by UK Space Agency’s Head of Space Science, Dr Caroline Harper. 

Due to launch in 2029, Ariel’s mission is to understand the links between a planet’s chemistry and its environment by characterising the atmospheres of 1,000 known planets outside our solar system.