PLATO (spacecraft)

PLATO
Mission typeSpace observatory
OperatorESA
Websitesci.esa.int/web/plato/
Mission duration4 years (plus 4 years of possible mission extensions)
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerOHB System AG
Launch mass2,134 kg (4,705 lb)[1] including 103 kg of propellant
Payload mass533 kg (1,175 lb)[1]
Power1,950 W[1]
Start of mission
Launch date2026 (planned)
RocketAriane 62[2]
Launch siteKourou ELA-4
ContractorArianespace
Orbital parameters
Reference systemSun–Earth L2
Main
TypeMultiple refractors[3]
Diameter26 telescopes, 120 mm each
Collecting area2,250 deg2
WavelengthsVisible spectrum: 500 to 1,000 nm
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PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) is a space telescope under development by the European Space Agency for launch in 2026.[4] The mission goals are to search for planetary transits across up to one million stars, and to discover and characterize rocky extrasolar planets around yellow dwarf stars (like the Sun), subgiant stars, and red dwarf stars. The emphasis of the mission is on Earth-like planets in the habitable zone around Sun-like stars where water can exist in a liquid state.[5] It is the third medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme and is named after the influential Greek philosopher Plato. A secondary objective of the mission is to study stellar oscillations or seismic activity in stars to measure stellar masses and evolution and enable the precise characterization of the planet host star, including its age.[6]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference 2017 Definition was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Mission Operations". ESA. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  3. ^ "PLATO - Camera Telescope Optical Units". INAF- Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania. 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  4. ^ PLATO spacecraft to find new Earth-like exoplanets. 21 June 2017, Max Planck Society.
  5. ^ Amos, Jonathan (29 January 2014). "Plato planet-hunter in pole position". BBC News. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  6. ^ "Plato". European Space Agency. European Space Agency. Retrieved 9 February 2017.