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PLATO

ESA · Launch: Dec 2026 (target)

26 cameras on one spacecraft hunting Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars.

Objective: Find and characterise rocky planets in the habitable zone of bright stars.

Launch on Ariane 6

Dec 2026

Target date · may change

Mission details

Rocket & spacecraft
Ariane 6
Destination
Sun–Earth L2 point (1.5 million km)
Duration
4 years nominal
  • 26 cameras watching ~200,000 bright stars.
  • Detects planets by the tiny dip in light as they cross their star.
  • Aims to find true Earth twins orbiting Sun-like stars.

Milestones

1 of 3 reached

  1. Spacecraft integration

    2025

  2. Launch

    Dec 2026Provisional

  3. Science operations at L2

    2027Provisional

Future dates are agency targets, not confirmed schedules.

Curated dataset

Official source: ESA PLATO →