Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Launch Date Set for 2026
Europe’s next major space mission, the PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) telescope, is scheduled to launch at the end of 2026.
Mission Objectives
PLATO aims to find Earth-like rocky planets around sun-like stars, focusing on potentially habitable worlds that can be studied in detail.
Launch Vehicle
The telescope will be launched into orbit on the new Ariane-6 rocket, which recently completed its maiden flight. The rocket was developed at a cost of €4 billion (£3.4 billion).
Update from Dr. David Brown
Dr. David Brown of the University of Warwick provided an update on the mission at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting at the University of Hull, held from July 14 to 19.
Key Mission Goals
One of PLATO’s primary goals is to discover another Earth-sun equivalent pair. The mission also aims to precisely characterize the exoplanets it finds, determining their masses, radii, and bulk densities.
Stellar Science Mission
In addition to hunting exoplanets, PLATO will study stars using asteroseismology to measure their vibrations and oscillations, helping to determine their masses, radii, and ages.
Multiple Cameras for Enhanced Performance
PLATO is equipped with multiple cameras, including 24 “Normal” cameras (N-CAMs) and 2 “Fast” cameras (F-CAMs). This setup provides a large field of view, improved performance, redundancy against failures, and the ability to identify false positive signals.
Observing Strategy
The planned observing strategy involves focusing on two patches of the sky, one in the Northern hemisphere and one in the Southern hemisphere, for two years each. The Southern patch has already been selected, while the Northern patch will be confirmed in the coming years.
Manufacturing Progress
Several components of the spacecraft, including the UK-provided Front-End Electronics (FEE) for the N-CAMs, have completed their manufacturing programs and are nearing the end of their calibration tests. Ten final cameras have been built and tested, with the first mounted onto the optical bench earlier this year. The mission remains on track for its December 2026 launch.
