Speaker: Heike Rauer (FU Berlin and DLR)

Title: The PLATO Mission - getting ready for launch

Abstract: PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is ESA's M3 mission and designed to detect and characterize extrasolar planets by high-precision, long-term photometric and asteroseismic monitoring of a large number of stars. PLATO will detect small planets around bright stars, including terrestrial planets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars. With asteroseismology of their host stars and complementary radial velocity observation from ground-based telescopes, planets will be characterized for their radius, mass, and age with high accuracy. PLATO will provide us the first large-scale catalogue of well-characterized small planets up to intermediate orbital periods, relevant for a meaningful comparison to planet formation theories and to better understand planet evolution.
PLATO is scheduled for a launch date in April/May 2027. Today, at the end of 2026, the payload including 26 wide-angle cameras with 12cm aperture each is integrated on the satellite platform and final spacecraft and ground-segment tests are ongoing. This presentation will give an overview of the PLATO mission and its current development status.

Note: [extra-ordinary colloquium]

• Date:
  Nov. 24, 2026, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  
  
• Location:

  AIP; Kirch building, Conference room

  
  
• Contact:
  Rainer Arlt
  rarlt@aip.de