Integrating data from ground-based and space telescopes to support future space missions in the new exoplanet era: The case of the ExoClock project

Ground based telescopes have been proven efficient enough for successful follow-up observations of exoplanets for more than 20 years now. In the field of exoplanets we have entered the era of characterisation, where the confirmation of exoplanets is not enough. The ExoClock project - www.exoclock.space – aims to monitor regularly transiting exoplanets for the Ariel space mission by integrating observations coming both from space and ground-based telescopes. The goal of the project is the delivery of a homogenous catalogue with the exoplanet parameters to increase the mission efficiency, supporting the ultimale goal of exoplanet characterisation with large telescopes. The project is part of the ephemerides working group of ESA's Ariel space mission and counts already 6 years in operation. In this effort we are actively collaborating with both professional and amateur astronomers coming from various countries around the world using snall, medium or larger scale telescopes. This presentation will highlight the capabilities of ground telescopes and how they can become valuable for exoplanet studies and space missions in this new era of characterisation. More specifically, I will talk in detail about the organisation of the project and the main tools used to achieve an efficient international collaboration. I will also present the status of the project and the results of the publications we have produced so far which include the update of 620 exoplanet ephemerides. Our research includes a collective analysis of observations acquired by both space telescopes (TESS, Kepler) and ground telescopes belonging to profeesional and amateur astronomers. This data is used to update the ephemerides of exoplanets that are candidates for the Ariel space mission. The ExoClock network currently consists of more than 2000 participants, a fact that highlights the significant aspect of collaborations in large scale research programs. The talk will end with lessons learned and how the integrated and collaborative approach of the project advances exoplanet observations and techniques.