POET Mission Aims to Discover Habitable Exoplanets

The Photometric Observations of Exoplanet Transits (POET) mission is a proposed Canadian micro-satellite mission dedicated to the characterization and discovery of transiting exoplanets. Identified as a top priority in the Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan 2020-2030, POET represents Canada's next potential astronomy space mission, with a possible launch in late 2029. Building upon the designs of previous Canadian space missions like MOST and NEOSSat, POET features a larger 20 cm telescope aperture and three band passes: near-ultraviolet (nUV), visible near-infrared (VNIR), and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR). The simultaneous tri-band photometric monitoring capability of POET will enable the separation of star spot impacts on the transmission spectra of exoplanet atmospheres. The SWIR band is particularly sensitive to the emission peak of ultracool dwarf stars, facilitating the search for Earth-sized planets around these stars. The mission aims to discover some of the nearest potentially habitable Earth-sized exoplanets that could be further scrutinized for biosignatures using JWST or future telescopes. The assembly of the POET Input Catalog of Ultracool Dwarfs and simulations of the expected yield of rocky planets are crucial steps in preparing for the mission. POET's potential to discover and characterize habitable exoplanets makes it a significant contribution to the field of exoplanet research.

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