Client: National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA)
Year: 2009 –2011
PLATO is an M-Class mission candidate of the European Space Agency’s Science Programme Cosmic Vision 2015-2025, foreseen to be launched by the end of 2018.
PLATO´s aims are:
- The Detection of Earth Analog systems
- The search for exoplanets around the brightest stars
- The characterization of very bright stars by using seismic analysis
To achieve this, PLATO mission will consist of 34 telescopes (32 of them “normal” and 2 “fast”).
PLATO is at the moment in the Definition Phase. LIDAX was involved in the feasibility phase, and now is participating in the definition phase, taking responsibility for the definition of the FPA (Focal Plane Assembly) from a Thermo-mechanical point of view.
Lidax has developed a serializable concept design (34 units will be manufactured), feasible in terms of mass, cost and schedule.
In the frame of this program, LIDAX preformed the following activities:
- Conceptual design and thermo-structural analysis
- Conceptual definition of the Focal Plane
LIDAX has also built a prototype to test the performance of the design.
