Alignment and integration of the first PLATO camera

Space Telescopes and Instrumentation: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, pp. 210

Abstract

PLATO is an exoplanet hunting mission of the European Space Agency. It is a medium-class mission, with a launch foreseen in 2026. Its prime objective is to uncover Earth-sized planets residing in their habitable zone. The payload consists in 26 cameras with a very wide field of view. These cameras consist in a Telescope Optical Unit, aligned at ambient and characterised at the operational temperature, and a Focal Plane Array bearing the detectors, and delivered after coupling with the Front End Electronics. In this contribution, we report on the alignment of the Engineering Model camera of Plato, i.e., the input metrology, the mechanical alignment of the optical unit with the focal plane array, the test environment and the optical characterisation throughout the process until the integrity check after delivery to the cryo-vacuum testing facility where the camera underwent a thorough performance demonstration. We also give a detailed description of the bolting process and the associated error budget.

Authors 26

1. P. Royer

   KU Leuven

   Affiliation as printed

   KU Leuven (Belgium)

2. Ann Baeke
   Affiliation as printed

   Ctr. Spatial de Liège (Belgium)

3. Guilhem Terrasa
   Affiliation as printed

   Ctr. Spatial de Liège (Belgium)

4. R. Huygen

   KU Leuven

   Affiliation as printed

   KU Leuven (Belgium)

5. S. Regibo

   KU Leuven

   Affiliation as printed

   KU Leuven (Belgium)

6. Jacopo Farinato

   Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (Italy)

7. Demetrio Magrin

   Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (Italy)

8. Alexandra Mazzoli
   Affiliation as printed

   Ctr. Spatial de Liège (Belgium)

9. Miriam Pajas

   Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial

   Affiliation as printed

   INTA Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (Spain)

10. Bart K. Vandenbussche

    KU Leuven

    Affiliation as printed

    KU Leuven (Belgium)

11. Aline Hermans
    Affiliation as printed

    Ctr. Spatial de Liège (Belgium)

12. Gabriel Millou
    Affiliation as printed

    Ctr. Spatial de Liège (Belgium)

13. Daniele Vassallo

    Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (Italy)

14. Ana Balado

    Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial

    Affiliation as printed

    INTA Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (Spain)

15. Lionel Clermont
    Affiliation as printed

    Ctr. Spatial de Liège (Belgium)

16. Andrea Cottinelli

    Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (Italy)

17. L. Ferrari Aachen SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research

    Space Research Organisation Netherlands

    Affiliation as printed

    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (Netherlands)

18. Nicolas Gorius

    Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania (Italy)

19. W. M. Laauwen Aachen SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research

    Space Research Organisation Netherlands

    Affiliation as printed

    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (Netherlands)

20. Yves Levillain

    European Space Research and Technology Centre

    Affiliation as printed

    European Space Research and Technology Ctr. (Netherlands)

21. Andrea Novi

    Leonardo (Italy)

    Affiliation as printed

    Leonardo S.p.A. (Italy)

22. I. Pagano

    Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania (Italy)

23. Martin Pertenaïs

    Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)

    Affiliation as printed

    Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (Germany)

24. Gonzalo Ramos Zapata

    Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial

    Affiliation as printed

    INTA Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (Spain)

25. Mario Salatti

    KU Leuven

    Affiliation as printed

    KU Leuven (Belgium)

26. Tim Anton van Kempen Aachen SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research

    Space Research Organisation Netherlands

    Affiliation as printed

    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (Netherlands)