ESA is working on a new Plato mission that aims to “hunt” for exoplanets. It will be launched
In preparation for the Dutch missionThe SRON Space Research Institute is testing Plato's cameras in a specially built space simulator. Scientists have already completed testing the prototype, and all functions work as expected. The frame for the cameras is currently undergoing a month-long vacuum conditioning at the European Space Agency (ESA) facility to evaluate its endurance in space conditions.
To simulate extreme conditionsspace, SRON researchers built a space simulator and adapted it for testing Plato. It creates a dangerous space environment with ultra-low pressure and low temperatures, and also generates artificial starlight. Scientists are testing the mechanism that moves the camera, allowing them to test the device's full field of view.
Within six weeks, the Plato camera prototypehas undergone an extensive testing program to demonstrate the required performance and to ensure that it is not affected by cycling through all possible expected temperatures. “It turned out that all functions of the engineering model work as expected,” concludes Lorenza Ferrari, project manager. “This is good news for Plato overall, and it also shows that our space simulator is working very well.”
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