PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars)1 is the M3 class ESA mission dedicated to the discovery
and study of extrasolar planetary systems by means of planetary transits detection. PLATO Payload Camera
units are integrated and vibrated at CSL before being TVAC tested for thermal acceptance and performance
verification at 3 different test facilities (SRON, IAS and INTA). 15 of the 26 Flight Cameras were integrated,
tested and delivered to ESA for integration by the Prime between June 2023 and June 2024, with the remaining
flight units to be tested by the end of 2024. In this paper, we provide an overview of our serial testing approach,
some of the associated challenges, key performance results and an up-to-date status on the remaining planned
activities.
KEYWORDS: Cameras, Space operations, Stars, Design, Data processing, Control systems, Planets, Scanning tunneling microscopy, Satellites, X band, Exoplanets, Astronomical telescopes, Space telescopes
PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations) mission is a space-based optical multi-camera photometer mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) to identify and characterize exoplanets and their hosting stars using two main techniques: planetary transit and asteroseismology. Selected as the M3 (third Medium class mission) of the ESA 2015-2025 Cosmic Vision program, PLATO is scheduled to launch end of 2026 and designed for 4 years of nominal observation. The PLATO spacecraft is composed of a Service Module and a Payload Module. The Service Module comprises all the conventional spacecraft subsystems and the sun shield with attached solar arrays. The Payload Module consists of a highly stable optical bench, equipped with 26 optical cameras covering a global field of view of > 2232deg2. The PLATO spacecraft data is complemented by ground-based observations and processed by a dedicated Science Ground Segment. We describe the mission and spacecraft architecture and provide a view of the current status of development.
Within the ESA PLATO M3 mission, the Telescope Optical Unit (TOU), i.e. the opto-mechanical unit, is a fully refractive optical system. The 26 TOU Flight Models (FM) to be delivered to the upper level, the PLATO Camera, make it a series production. The first Flight Models production faced many initial challenges from a Product Assurance point of view, mostly related to MAIT activities, while moving forward these challenges decreased. Discrepancies and nonconformities associated with, mainly, but not only, materials and processes, cleanliness and contamination control, safety, qualifications and validations, are the object of this proceeding. Thus, showing that serial production adds one more variable to possible failures, but at the same time, when root causes are corrected and solved, yields less difficulties in subsequent FMs MAIT and final production. Product Assurance, in monitoring the product in failure-proofing aspects, aims at mitigating criticalities and arranging for corrective and preventive actions that allow improving the likelihood of success of the mission.
PLATO (Planetary Transits and Oscillation of Starts) will be used for finding the hugest amount of exoplanets ever found and to characterize them together to the associated star activity evaluation through its astroseismology. For such a purpose, 26 telescopes will be mounted on the same platform: 24 of them, called ‘normal’ and composed of four full-frame CCDs and the last 2, known as ‘fast’ composed of four frame-transfer CCDs. In both cases, CCDs will be installed on their respective focal plane assemblies (FPAs). For completing the detection chain, they are using their front end electronics (FEE), being the optics and opto-mechanics of the telescope optical unit (TOU) the last element of the PLATO CAMs. As a part of the payload development and assembly and integration and test, the PLATO CAMs are required to be calibrated and tested on simulated working conditions. INTA is one of the European institutions (together to IAS and SRON, in France and Netherlands, respectively), in which such telescopes testing and calibration is carried out. As a part of the product assurance activities, a protocol for reaching safe conditions on the telescopes during TVAC testing under any unexpected and dangerous event happed was prepared. In this paper, we are describing the need of the protocol activation for answering to one of the worst events that could be present during a TVAC testing campaign: an unexpected power outage making the vacuum pumps critically fail. The room conditions recovering in a safe way is reported on.
PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is an M3 medium-class space mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision program devoted to detecting and studying a large number of extrasolar planetary systems. Its launch is planned for the end of 2026 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The PLATO Payload consists of 26 wide field-of-view Cameras, each observing a specific part of the sky, associated data processing units and power supply units. The 24 Normal-Cameras will provide a very high-resolution photometric measurement of light from a large number of stars, while the other two Fast Cameras will provide the colour information and will deliver the pointing data to the AOCS (Attitude and Orbital Control System). The Cameras will be integrated into an optical bench. Each of them is composed of the Telescope Optical Unit (TOU), the Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) and the Front-End Electronics (FEE). Currently, the serial production of the Cameras has already started facing critical key points, non-conformities and challenging problems. The status of the Product Assurance activities during the serial production for which the first flight models are being delivered after the AIT phase is reported.
PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations) mission is a space-based optical multi-camera photometer mission of the European Space Agency to identify and characterize exoplanets and their hosting stars using two main techniques: planetary transit and asteroseismology.
The PLATO spacecraft is composed of a Service Module and a Payload Module. The Service Module comprises all the conventional spacecraft subsystems and the sun shield with attached solar arrays. The Payload Module consists of a highly stable optical bench, equipped with 26 optical imagers/cameras covering a global field of view of > 2232 deg2. The design includes two types of cameras: 24 Normal Cameras (N-CAMs) with measurement cadences of 25s and 2 Fast Cameras (F-CAMs) with a cadence of 2.5s. The PLATO spacecraft data is complemented by ground based observations and processed by a dedicate Science Ground Segment.
We describe the mission and spacecraft architecture and provide a view of the current status of development.
KEYWORDS: Contamination, Manufacturing, Cameras, Space operations, Picture Archiving and Communication System, Optics manufacturing, Materials processing, Telescopes, Inspection, Contamination control
The TOU is the Telescope Optical Unit for the PLATO ESA mission, consisting of the opto-mechanical unit for each of the 26 Cameras of which PLATO is composed. The TOU is currently in the manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing (MAIT) phase for the Proto Flight Model (PFM) and for Flight Models (FMs). We present the design processes as seen from the Product Assurance (PA) point of view: PA aims at monitoring the design and addresses specific issues related to, among others, materials and processes (these shall be suitable for the purpose and for the life-time of the mission), cleanliness and contamination control (to limit the loss of optical performance), safety, monitoring of qualifications/validations. PA supports the project in failure-proofing aspects to mitigate criticalities, e.g. in the elaboration of non-conformances and deviations that can arise during the design and MAIT process, and/or are highlighted during the reviews for manufacturing, test, and delivery of the related hardware. PA ensures early detection of potential problems and risks for the TOU and arranges for corrective actions that aim at improving the likelihood of success of the mission.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.