European satellite seeks new planets

In a quest to discover planets outside our solar system, a European consortium of space organisations recently launched the COROT satellite. A Soyuz rocket lifted the satellite from Kazakhstan in a successful launch ushering in a new year of discovery. COROT, a French National Space Agency (CNES)-led initiative with several contributing European partners, is on a mission to detect new planets and peer deep into the heart of stars. COROT will fulfil its scientific objectives by inspecting approximately 120 000 stars through its 30-centimetre telescope.

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