PLATO Mission Pioneers: Discovering New Planets

TÜV Nord Group Pioneers of the PLATO Mission for the Discovery of New Planets

2026-02-20 From 2 min Reading Time

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The TÜV Nord Group, through its subsidiary ALTER, plays a crucial role in the European Space Agency's (ESA) PLATO mission. Scheduled to launch in 2026, this mission will explore the universe with a new generation of space telescopes and revolutionise the search for Earth-like planets.

The PLATO mission (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is an ambitious project aimed at expanding our understanding of planetary systems and their evolution. The PLATO space telescope is equipped with 26 high-precision cameras and will observe hundreds of thousands of stars. Its goal is to identify small dips in brightness, which may indicate the existence of exoplanets—planets orbiting stars other than the Sun—which could potentially offer habitable conditions. The PLATO mission will not only enable the discovery of new planets but also conduct precise measurements of host stars to determine their size, mass, and age.

ALTER plays a central role in the PLATO mission. The company has coordinated the selection of technologies, material procurement, and all related testing to meet strict mission requirements.

On 24 February 2026, ALTER, in collaboration with the Agencia Espacial Española, will host the PLATO Forum: "One Project, Many Perspectives" in Seville. This event will bring together leading experts from the ESA, the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial «Esteban Terradas», the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC), as well as representatives from the aerospace industry. The aim of the forum is to discuss the various phases of the project and highlight the challenges that have been overcome to reach the current status of the mission.

"We are proud to be part of one of Europe's most ambitious scientific missions," says David Nunez, Head of the Semiconductor Division at ALTER. "The PLATO mission will redefine European astronomy and significantly expand our knowledge of the universe," Nunez added.

The PLATO mission will be launched into orbit in 2026 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket and positioned at Lagrange Point 2, 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. This strategic positioning allows for the observation of a vast number of stars and advances the search for a second Earth.

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