CCD characterization for astronomy space missions at ESA

ESA’s astronomy missions make wide use of CCDs as their main photon detectors. Depending on the scientific goals of the mission, different aspects the CCD’s performance may be critical for the achievement of these goals. The Payload Technology Verification section of ESA’s Future Missions Preparation Office has a task to provide support on issues related to payload performance. For that purpose we operate a versatile CCD test bench. We present test results on CCDs for missions that are currently under study (PLATO) or under development (EUCLID, CHEOPS).