The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Caption: This is one of the CCD detectors of ESA’s exoplanetary mission Plato. The spacecraft will have a total of 104 CCD detectors, four for each of its 26 cameras. The satellite will host the largest digital combined camera ever flown in space. These optics are needed because Plato will look for the slight dimming of starlight as a planet passes in front of its host star.
Each CCD produces an image of 20 megapixels and operates at a temperature lower than -65°C for optimal sensitivity. The CCDs are approximately eight by eight centimetres. They are produced by Teledyne e2v in the UK.