The progress and core science of the Cool Planet Imaging Coronagraph (CPI-C) on Chinese Space-station Survey Telescope (CSST)

With over 6200 exoplanets discovered, none Earth-twin has been confirmed. The high-contrast imaging can directly detect the photons from the planet itself, thus open the window for spectroscopy of the atmosphere of the planet, which is crucial to answer “Are we alone in the universe?”. However, the direct imaging technique remains challenge, due to the larger flux ratio contrast and its location very close to the primary star. In this talk, I will introduce progress & scientific goals of CPI-C on CSST, which is dedicated for the high-contrast imaging and characterization of the “COOL” planet. Meanwhile, I will make a brief introduction of the next generation flagship space program of ELSE (Extraterrestrial Life Signal Explorer), which will focus on the direct imaging & spectroscopy of the Earth-mass exoplanets in the HZ of a solar type star, one of the most significant sciences of human beings in this new era.