ESA's Plato Planet Hunter Passes Final Major Pre-Launch Test

The European Space Agency has completed a series of key tests on its planet-hunting spacecraft Plato, confirming that the vehicle's electronic equipment is ready to operate in space.

The checks were carried out inside the Maxwell Test Chamber at ESTEC, ESA's technical centre. The facility is a shielded enclosure with conducting metal walls, floor and ceiling that together form a Faraday cage, blocking out external interference. Its interior, standing 9 metres high, is lined with foam spikes designed to absorb electrical signals and sounds, recreating conditions similar to the vacuum of space.

After sealing the chamber, engineers remotely powered up and commanded Plato's electronic systems. They ran tests to check that the spacecraft's instruments and modules would not interfere with one another or with its communication systems, an unwanted effect known as crosstalk. According to ESA, electronics can behave differently in the vacuum of space than in a standard ground-based lab, and inadequate testing could jeopardise a mission's objectives or damage equipment.

The tests confirmed that Plato's electronic systems are electromagnetically compatible and can operate together in space. With this verification complete, ESA said the spacecraft has cleared the last major examination in the series it must pass before it is ready to fly.