PLATO completes its last environmental tests; launch set for March 2027

European Space Agency/PLATO

DLR reported that PLATO finished electromagnetic compatibility testing in ESTEC's Maxwell chamber, after vibration and acoustic tests in January and the space-simulator campaign. That closes the test campaign, and the launch on Ariane 6 from Kourou is now scheduled for March 2027.

• Electromagnetic tests confirmed the instruments do not interfere with each other.
• DLR's Berlin institute built the camera readout and data-processing electronics.
• The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research leads the science data centre.
• Launch date: March 2027, on Ariane 6 to L2.