Ten missions across four funding categories are planned to be launched under Cosmic Vision, with the first being CHEOPS in December 2019.
The initial call of ideas and concepts was launched in 2004 with a subsequent workshop held in Paris to define more fully the themes of the Vision under the broader headings of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Solar System Exploration and Fundamental Physics.
In March 2012, ESA announced it had begun working on a series of small class (S-class) science missions.
[10] Originally it was intended that Large class (L-class) projects were to be carried out in collaboration with other partners and should have an ESA cost not exceeding 900 million euros.
The inclusion of F-class missions into the Cosmic Vision program would require a significant increase of the science budget, to be discussed in future meetings.