ESA's Ariel Exoplanet Surveyor Achieves Significant Milestone

ESA's next-generation exoplanet surveyor, Ariel, has successfully completed its payload Preliminary Design Review (PDR), marking a significant milestone in its development. The review confirmed that the mission's payload design meets all technical and scientific requirements, allowing the project to proceed to the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase. Ariel aims to observe around 1000 exoplanets, studying their chemical makeup and atmospheric conditions to gain insights into planet formation and evolution. The mission will also lay the groundwork for future searches for extraterrestrial life and planets similar to Earth.