PLATO Telescope Set to Launch in 2026 to Find Earth-Like Planets

The European Space Agency's mission aims to discover potentially habitable worlds and study star systems in unprecedented detail.

PLATO will search for Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars.
The mission will use 24 normal cameras and 2 fast cameras to cover a large field of view.
PLATO will also study star vibrations and oscillations to determine their masses, radii, and ages.
The telescope is scheduled to launch on the Ariane-6 rocket from French Guiana in December 2026.
Several key components, including the UK-provided Front-End Electronics, have completed manufacturing and testing.