Since two decades, about 3,500 exoplanets were discovered using different techniques. Among these techniques, direct imaging is very attractive. It is the only one that can both probe planets in the external part of their systems, and provide a spectral characterization of their atmospheres. Unfortunately, imaging is challenging because of the large flux ratio and the small angular separation between the star and its planet. For 2-3 years, instruments like Sphere/VLT and GPI/Gemini combine coronagraphs and accurate adaptive optics systems to detect sources up to 17 magnitudes fainter than their stars at a fraction of arcsec and study young exoplanetary systems: structures in circumstellar disks and giant gaseous planets. To detect fainter objects like mature Jupiter or Earths, more efficient coronagraphs (wider spectral bandpass) and more accurate control of the optical aberrations are required. It will also be useful to use a large telescope for high angular resolution e.g. looking for planets with small semi-major axis. For all these reasons (size and stability), a spatial mission like the Luvoir project is very interesting for exoplanet imaging.

Our team at Lesia participated in several main projects dedicated to exoplanet imaging providing components or being responsible of parts of the instruments for Naco/VLT, Sphere/VLT, Miri/JWST, Micado/E-ELT. We also developed the THD2-bench, a very high contrast imaging testbed that is unique in Europe to prepare the future space mission dedicated to exoplanet imaging: test, R&D, and comparison of several techniques with numerous international and national collaborations. I will present these competences and tools, and I will try to show that Europe has legitimity to participate in a flagship exoplanet imager like Luvoir.