PLATO (spacecraft)
| Mission type | Space observatory |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA |
| Website | sci |
| Mission duration | 6 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | To be decided in 2016 |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Planned for 2024 |
| Rocket | Soyuz-ST |
| Launch site | Kourou ELS |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Sun–Earth L2 |
| Main telescope | |
| Type | Multiple refractors |
| Collecting area | 2250 deg2 |
| Wavelengths | Visible spectrum:390 to 700 nm |
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Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) is a space observatory under development by the European Space Agency for launch in 2024. The mission goals are to search for planetary transits of up to one million stars, to discover and characterize rocky extrasolar planets around red dwarf stars, yellow dwarf like our sun, and subgiant stars. The emphasis of the mission is on earth like planets in the habitable zone around sun-like stars where water can exist in liquid state. It is the third medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme and named after the influential Greek philosopher Plato the founding figure of Western philosophy, science and mathematics. A secondary objective of the mission is to study stellar oscillations or seismic activity in stars to measure stellar masses and evolution and enabling the precise characterization of the planet host star, including its age.
PLATO was first proposed in 2007 to the European Space Agency (ESA) by a team of scientists in response to the call for ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 programme. The assessment phase was completed during 2009, and in May 2010 it entered the Definition Phase. Following a call for missions in July 2010, ESA selected in February 2011 four candidates for a medium-class mission (M3 mission) for a launch opportunity in 2024. PLATO was announced on 19 February 2014 as the selected M3 class science mission for implementation as part of its Cosmic Vision Programme. Other competing concepts that were studied included the four candidate missions EChO, LOFT, MarcoPolo-R and STE-QUEST.
The design of the Telescope Optical Units is by an international team from Italy, Switzerland and Sweden and coordinated by Roberto Ragazzoni at INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova. The design and development is funded by Italian Space Agency, Swiss Space Office and the Swedish National Space Board.
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