The European Space Agency's Plato space telescope has completed testing of its electronics, confirming that its instruments are fit to work in the conditions of space.
The tests took place in the Maxwell Test Chamber at the ESTEC centre. This is a shielded enclosure whose metal walls, floor, and ceiling form a Faraday cage (a protective screen that blocks all external electromagnetic interference). Its 9-metre-high interior is lined with foam spikes that absorb electrical signals and sounds, mimicking the void of space.
Once the chamber was sealed, engineers remotely switched on and commanded Plato's equipment. The goal was to confirm that its complex instruments and modules do not interfere with each other or with communication systems, creating "crosstalk".
In a vacuum, a spacecraft's electronics can behave differently than they do in a typical lab on the ground. Without proper testing, this risks unforeseen consequences for the mission or damage to the equipment. The tests confirmed that Plato's systems are electromagnetically compatible.
This was the last major exam in the series. Earlier, in January, the spacecraft passed vibration and acoustic tests, then spent a month in the Large Space Simulator. Plato's launch on an Ariane 6 rocket is planned by Arianespace for March 2027.
