AFP :
Europe has approved the launch of a deep-space observatory to sniff out habitable planets in other star systems, along with any life forms they may host.
“The PLATO mission will address fundamental questions such as ‘how common are Earth-like planets?’ and ‘is our solar system unusual or even unique?’,” the University
of Warwick, whose scientists will take part in the project, said on Wednesday. The multi-million-euro undertaking “could eventually even lead to the detection of extra-terrestrial life,” it added. A committee of the European Space Agency (ESA), meeting in Madrid, green-lit the mission on Tuesday, meaning “it can move from a blueprint into construction,” the university said in a statement. When the candidate project was first announced three years ago, its cost was estimated at some 600 million euros ($668 million). With 26 onboard telescopes, PLATO will join NASA’s Kepler observatory in a dedicated search for exoplanets revolving around stars other than our Sun. Kepler has so far found more than 3,400 confirmed exoplanets. Of these, 30 are less than twice the size of Earth and orbiting within the so-called “habitable” zone of their star-not so close that water evaporates and not so cold that it freezes.
Liquid water is a key requirement for life as we know it.
PLATO-PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) — will be launched 1.5 million kilometres (932,000 miles) into space, monitoring thousands of stars over a large area of sky.
Europe has approved the launch of a deep-space observatory to sniff out habitable planets in other star systems, along with any life forms they may host.
“The PLATO mission will address fundamental questions such as ‘how common are Earth-like planets?’ and ‘is our solar system unusual or even unique?’,” the University
of Warwick, whose scientists will take part in the project, said on Wednesday. The multi-million-euro undertaking “could eventually even lead to the detection of extra-terrestrial life,” it added. A committee of the European Space Agency (ESA), meeting in Madrid, green-lit the mission on Tuesday, meaning “it can move from a blueprint into construction,” the university said in a statement. When the candidate project was first announced three years ago, its cost was estimated at some 600 million euros ($668 million). With 26 onboard telescopes, PLATO will join NASA’s Kepler observatory in a dedicated search for exoplanets revolving around stars other than our Sun. Kepler has so far found more than 3,400 confirmed exoplanets. Of these, 30 are less than twice the size of Earth and orbiting within the so-called “habitable” zone of their star-not so close that water evaporates and not so cold that it freezes.
Liquid water is a key requirement for life as we know it.
PLATO-PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) — will be launched 1.5 million kilometres (932,000 miles) into space, monitoring thousands of stars over a large area of sky.
