ESA’s hunting planet Plato spacecraft is about to be completed, with 24 eyes ready

The ambitious exoplanet observatory in Europe is rapidly forming as engineers have successfully installed 24 of 26 dedicated cameras that will serve as missions for the universe.

The Plato (Star’s Planetary Transition and Oscillation) spacecraft of the European Space Agency aims to find planets orbiting Earth around distant stars, reaching a key milestone in its assembly process. With its unique multi-camera approach, Plato will scan huge areas of the sky to detect subtle brightness changes in stars that may reveal previously undiscovered worlds – possibly including planets that can support life. Progress marks the goal of moving towards the mission to create the most comprehensive catalog of potentially habitable exoplanets to date.

Technicians at the German OHB have carefully installed high-precision cameras on the optical table of the spacecraft, a specialized structure that maintains the exact alignment necessary for the success of the mission.

There are 26 eyes on the plane in the sky

Unlike previous exoplanet missions that rely on a single telescope, Plato took a revolutionary approach, with 26 independent cameras operating together. This innovative design allows the spacecraft to monitor about 5% of the sky simultaneously – a much larger field of view than previous hunting missions.

“It makes sense to see the progress we started with the work of installing the camera last year: Now there are 24 cameras and we see Plato in the right shape,” said ESA Plato Project Manager. “This activity is one of the most critical things to build a satellite. The cameras are exquisite elements that must be attached very accurately to the support structure of the spacecraft to ensure they are very accurately aligned.”

24 installed “normal” cameras are strategically arranged in four groups of six perfectly aligned elements. Each group points to another part of the sky, creating overlapping fields, thus maximizing the task’s observation ability.

How will Plato find a new world

Plato’s detection strategy relies on slight changes in star brightness when capturing planets transit (through) host stars. This transit method has proven to be very effective in previous tasks, but Plato’s multi-camera approach significantly improves sensitivity and the area of ​​the sky that can be monitored.

The spacecraft’s function is more than just finding new planets. Its instrument is designed to detect star oscillations—subtle vibrations in stars that reveal key information about their internal structure, composition and age. This purebred data will provide unprecedented insights to the stars hosting planets, allowing scientists to determine:

• By accurately measuring the exact size and mass of its host star
• The age of planetary systems is crucial to understanding their evolution
• The internal composition and structure of stars similar to our sun
• The habitable potential of planets discovered based on detailed stellar characteristics
• Prevalence of Earth-like planets in our Milky Way

Two special “fast cameras” are coming soon

Although 24 ordinary cameras became the backbone of Plato’s observational capabilities, the task will soon obtain its last two professional instruments. These “fast cameras” are designed to capture images at higher frequency than the main camera array, focusing on the brightest stars in Plato’s field of view.

These fast cameras have key navigation capabilities that provide real-time location data for the spacecraft’s attitude control system. This ensures that Plato maintains the very precise direction needed to continuously monitor hundreds of thousands of stars over the years of mission.

Engineers are expected to install the two cameras in the next few weeks and complete the spacecraft’s optical system.

Service modules are formed in parallel

While many cameras on the optical table represent the scientific heart of the mission, OHB engineers simultaneously assembled Plato’s important service modules. This component houses complex electronics and systems that power and control the spacecraft.

The service module includes key subsystems for direction control, track adjustment, power distribution and data processing. It also contains communication devices that will deliver Plato’s valuable scientific discoveries back to Earth.

The next major milestone in spacecraft assembly will take place this summer when technicians will use the payload module of the phase-load camera to join the service module.

European cooperation efforts

The Plato mission represents an important cooperation across Europe. Scientific instruments, including sophisticated cameras and electronic units, originated from collaboration between ESA and the Plato Mission Alliance, a group composed of various European research centres, institutes and industrial partners.

The spacecraft itself was built by the OHB-led Industrial Plato core team in collaboration with Thales Alenia Space and Beyond Gravity.

When Plato finally arrives in space, it will join NASA’s Tess (Transport Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and the James Webb Space Telescope to continue to understand the world beyond the solar system. With his broad vision and ability to observe 200,000 stars, Plato could fundamentally change our understanding of planetary systems and make it possible to identify the most promising candidates for the habitable world.

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