ESA Science & Technology - Exoplanet mission timeline

The PLATO mission in the context of previous and future space missions dedicated to exoplanet science (top) and exoplanet-sensitive missions (bottom).

PLATO, the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars mission, is a next-generation planet hunter with an emphasis on the properties of rocky planets up to the habitable zone around Sun-like stars – the location from a star where liquid water can exist on the planet’s surface. Importantly, it will also analyse the planet’s host star, including its age, and thus give insight into the evolutionary state of the entire extrasolar system.

A generic version of this infographic, along with information on all the other missions shown, is available here.

Note: This graphic was updated in 2020.