Advancements and evolution of PLATO's instrument control unit:
- Author(s)
- Rosario Cosentino, Mauro Focardi, Anna Maria Di Giorgio, Simone Chiarucci, Fabrizio De Angelis, Carlo Del Vecchio Blanco, Devitt Dini, Maria Farina, Giuseppe Giglio, Giovanni Giusi, Harald Jeszenszky, Gunter Laky, Scige John Liu, Dominik Loidolt, Armin Luntzer, Vladimiro Noce, Harald Ottacher, Roland Ottensamer, Alessio Pannocchia, Marco Passerai, Andrea Russi, Luca Serafini, Jorge Tonfat, Luca Toscano, Marina Vela Nuñez, Marco Verna
- Abstract
PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is the ESA’s third medium-class mission (M3), adopted in 2017 under the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program after selection in 2014. Set for launch in 2026 from French Guiana’s Kourou, its primary goal is to discover and provide an initial bulk characterization of diverse exoplanets, including rocky ones, orbiting bright solar-type stars. Operating from a halo orbit around L2, 1.5 million km from Earth, PLATO’s Payload consists of 26 telescopes (24 normal, 2 fast) capturing images every 25 seconds and 2.5 seconds, respectively. These work in tandem with the AOCS (S/C Attitude and Orbit Control System). Each camera comprises four CCDs, yielding 20.3 MP images—81.4 MP per normal camera and 2.11 gigapixels overall. The onboard P/L Data Processing System (DPS) handles this huge data volume, employing Normal and Fast DPUs along with a single ICU. The ICU manages data compression, overseeing the P/L through a SpaceWire network. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the Instrument Control Unit’s (ICU) status following the rigorous performance test conducted on the Engineering Model (EM) and its evolution during the development phases of the Engineering Qualification Model (EQM) and Proto-Flight Model (PFM). The content delineates the outcomes derived from the extensive performance test executed on the Engineering Model (EM), detailing the meticulous activities undertaken during the Assembly, Integration, and Verification (AIT/AIV) processes of the EQM. Additionally, it explains the status of the Proto-Flight Model (PFM), offering insights into its development path.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- INAF - Galileo Galilei Foundation, INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Kayser Italia S.r.l., Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)
- No. of pages
- 9
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019909
- Publication date
- 08-2024
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics, 103038 Space exploration, 102022 Software development
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Condensed Matter Physics, Computer Science Applications, Applied Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/aef7cd99-e86c-43e8-86e7-7b12993351b9