ESA Science & Technology - PLATO solar wings and antenna deployment - 360 degree view

Animation of ESA's PLATO spacecraft. The first half of the animation shows the deployment of the two solar wings as well as the high-gain antenna at the base of the spacecraft.

PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) is the third medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme. Its objective is to find and study a large number of extrasolar planetary systems, with emphasis on the properties of terrestrial planets in the habitable zone around solar-like stars. PLATO has also been designed to investigate seismic activity in stars, enabling the precise characterisation of the planet's host star, including its age.