The European Space Agency’s (ESA) highly anticipated Plato mission has reached a key milestone in its assembly, with 24 of its 26 cameras now successfully integrated into the spacecraft. Designed to search for Earth-like exoplanets and deepen our understanding of stars, Plato is edging closer to launch readiness.
Credit: ESA
Work is advancing at the OHB facility in Germany, where engineers are carefully installing the spacecraft’s sensitive optical instruments. These cameras, mounted on a precision-engineered optical bench, are central to Plato’s mission to monitor the brightness of over 200,000 stars in search of the subtle dips in light caused by orbiting planets.
"With 24 cameras now in place, we see Plato taking its proper shape," said Thomas Walloschek, ESA’s Plato Project Manager. "This is one of the most critical stages in the spacecraft’s assembly. The alignment and installation of these delicate instruments require extraordinary precision."
Plato’s unique design includes 24 ‘normal’ cameras arranged in four groups, each slightly offset to give the spacecraft a wide field of view—capable of observing about 5% of the sky at once. Two additional ‘fast’ cameras, to be installed in the coming weeks, will capture rapid snapshots of the brightest stars and assist with precise spacecraft pointing.
The mission goes beyond planet detection. By analyzing ‘starquakes’—small, rhythmic oscillations in stars—Plato will offer unprecedented insights into stellar interiors and ages. This information is critical for accurately characterizing exoplanets and understanding their potential habitability.
Plato’s newly installed cameras. Credit: ESA
Parallel to the camera integration, OHB engineers are assembling Plato’s service module, which houses essential systems such as propulsion, power, communication, and camera control units. The spacecraft’s two main segments—the payload module with the cameras and the service module—are scheduled to be joined later this summer.
The scientific payload is a result of collaboration between ESA and the Plato Mission Consortium, a partnership of research institutions and industry leaders across Europe. The spacecraft itself is being built by a core team led by OHB, alongside Thales Alenia Space and Beyond Gravity.
Once launched, Plato will embark on an ambitious mission to uncover new worlds beyond our solar system—and bring us closer to answering one of science’s biggest questions: are we alone in the universe?
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Very well done, all the best for your future endeavors.