Astrobiology

Astrobiology and Astrochemistry

The "Exobiology and Astrochemistry" theme focuses on selected solar system objects, in particular Mars, Titan and comets, as well as exoplanets, all of which are of great interest for exobiology and astrochemistry. The team's main scientific objectives are 1.) the search for molecular compounds in extraterrestrial objects, and 2.) the study of processes and reactivity leading to an understanding of the chemical composition of the objects studied. We develop laboratory experiments and numerical models simulating extraterrestrial environments, and participate in the design and production of chemical analysis instruments for space missions.

Publications

Ashtari, Reza; Collins, Sean; Splinter, Jared; Stevenson, Kevin B.; Parmentier, Vivien; Brande, Jonathan; Saha, Suman; Stamer, Sarah; Crossfield, Ian J. M.; Jenkins, James S.; Kahle, K. Angelique; Lothringer, Joshua D.; Mehta, Nishil; Cowan, Nicolas B.; D, Olivia Venot, Pero, Jason; Zhang, Xi

Heat Reveals What Clouds Conceal: Global Carbon and Longitudinally Asymmetric Chemistry on LTT 9779 b
Astronomical Journal

Tuesday 10 March 2026
Romeo Veillet, Olivia Venot, Sirjean, B., Citrangolo Destro F., Fournet, R., Glaude, P.-A., Al-Refaie, A. F., Hébrard, E., Bounaceur, R.

Development of a C/H/O/N/S chemical network: Experimental benchmark, application to exoplanets, and identification of key C/S coupling pathways
Astronomy & Astrophysics

Wednesday 18 February 2026
Drant, T. Sciamma-O'Brien, E. Jovanovic, L., Zoe Perrin, Maratrat, L. Vettier, L. Garcia-Caurel, E. Brubach, J.-B. Wooden, D. H. Roush, T. L. Ricketts, C. L. Rannou, P.

Refractive indices of photochemical haze analogs for Solar System and exoplanet applications: A cross-laboratory comparative study between the PAMPRE and COSmIC experimental setups
Astronomy and Astrophysics

Wednesday 11 February 2026
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News

After more than a year of exposure to the extreme conditions of space, the IR-Coaster instrument was successfully recovered on February 27, 2026, and...
Tuesday 28 April 2026
Space accessible to all: a look back at the successful launch of the Île-de-France Space Academy at UPEC     The organizers and speakers at...
Thursday 12 March 2026
On the night of November 1 to 2, 2024, at 4:40 a.m. French time, a Space X Falcon 9/Dragon rocket will take off from Cape Canaveral (Florida/USA), bound...
Tuesday 22 October 2024