The ESO radial velocity planet search program

. We give an overview of current search programs for extra-solar planets using high precision radial velocities. Gemini's possibilities in this new field are identified. Pending instrumental developments at ESO are discussed in terms of their promise for RV measurement precision as well as important stellar line profile studies. Preliminary results are shown from the planet search program carried out at the ESO CAT+CES with data on the candidate extra-solar planets around ' Hor and OE 2 Pav. Instrumentation. Future fibre-fed spectrograph with R ? 120; 000; required wavelength range 5100 \Gamma 5900 A; R ? 200; 000; if fibre-fed: image quality not crucial, AO not required; special calibrations: iodine gas absorption cell. 1. Introduction The search for extra-solar planets has become a science priority for ESO. Various techniques are being evaluated and developed, with high-precision radial velocities (RV) being the method immediately available. Identifying the reflex motion of a star..