ESA’s Plato to observe 200,000 stars with 26 ultra-sensitive cameras

Scientists have been on a search for planets that can support life. Several missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope, have contributed to this course. Now, the ESA is taking things a step further with Plato.

Plato is a spacecraft equipped with 26 ultra-sensitive cameras. It is set to discover planets that orbit Sun-like stars in the habitable zone. Also known as the “Goldilocks region,” the habitable zone is a region not too close to a star and not too far away. It is a region where the temperature is just right for a planet to have liquid water on its surface.

The 26-eyed spacecraft will observe these Sun-like stars in a bid to pick up the tiniest variations in the stars’ lights. A star’s light dims when a planet passes by it. This is how scientists aim to use Plato to discover these exoplanets (planets outside our solar system).

Given that Plato’s cameras will look in the same region continuously for a minimum of two years, it will also study starquakes. This will provide scientists with insights into the age and internal workings of a star. Plato is expected to observe more than 200,000 stars.

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in December 2026. It recently arrived at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC). There, engineers will complete the assembly by mounting the spacecraft’s combined sunshield and solar arrays module. After that, Plato will undergo several tests to ensure it is space-ready.