New technology developed
The space researchers' collaboration with the physicist and lecturer Guido Bucher who engraved the more than 2,700 children's drawings onto the two book cover sized titanium plaques with a laser at Bern University of Applied Sciences was also successful. At the same time he managed to develop an innovative method that is now being used for the CHEOPS project and can possibly be used later in industry.
Bucher had to overcome several problems in the process, for example when the plates suddenly sagged after lasering. He had to reach for the double-sided carpet tape from time to time too. In response to the question why children’s drawings are going to fly into space with CHEOPS he answered: "The many great, imaginative and clever drawings that I had the privilege of lasering onto the titanium plates prove: the project is doing its bit to introduce children to technology and sciences and inspire them for this." This is also important with a view to the STEM skills shortage.
Last stops before the launch
CHEOPS is going to travel to ESA's head office in the Netherlands soon, where it will undergo more tests. The satellite will then return to Airbus in Spain where the telescope was mounted on the satellite carrier platform this summer before the whole thing came to Switzerland. After the final tests, it will then head to the Kourou space station in French Guiana for the launch. CHEOPS is supposed to be launched from there in the first half of 2019.