Exodata: a commercially supported space telescope
ExoData will use results from the very successfull ExoMol Advanced Award which created comprehensive spectroscopic line lists to help understand and model the atmospheres of exoplanets. ExoData will help build and fund a satellite aimed at characterising exoplanet atmospheres using a cheap, agile, low earth orbit satellite mission with a launch date this decade. This mission will be part funded by
the sale of telescope data to interested international clients. This is a new business model for astonomical satellites. ExoData will (a) fund business development in partnership with a small company created
to sell telescope and other data from this mission and (b) use the results of the ExoMol project to model results from this mission and to create software and models that have potential re-sale value.
The deliverable will be funded space mission and a novel business model.