Each telescope is equipped with a NTM-1000 robotic mount and will search for Earth-sized exoplanets around 1000 ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs.

For brown dwarfs it was predicted that 175 of these objects need to be monitored to find one system with transiting planets.

The continuous observation of one target is needed to find these exoplanets in the habitable zone around ultra-cool dwarf stars.

[12] The system of SPECULOOS - South (SSO) comprises four telescopes called Europa, Io, Callisto, and Ganymede.

[12] The four 1 m-diameter telescopes will be equipped with cameras sensitive in the near-infrared, the wavelength range in which ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs emit most of their light.

The detectors are optimized for 700 to 1000 nm wavelength, to observe ultracool dwarfs with a J-band magnitude of 14 or brighter at good seeing conditions.

[2][9] As with the other space observation projects of the University of Liège like TRAPPIST, the name Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars makes up a backronym referring to a Belgian food: in this case, the spiced biscuit known as Speculoos.