PLATO Mission Handbook

This document provides a comprehensive introduction to ESA’s PLATO mission, intended for Consortium scientists and Guest Observers alike. The document contains details on the spacecraft, its 26-camera payload, the observing strategy, and data products. It therefore serves as the prime reference for scientists preparing PLATO observations, explaining the mission’s target fields, stellar samples, and data processing pipeline. The handbook further includes guidance and information on instrument performance, on data access via the PLATO Archive (PAX), and links to relevant technical documents and publications for further details. The document unites content from the PLATO Mission Paper by Rauer et al., 2025, as well as from other reference sources.

Current version:

Mission Handbook - released 7 April 2026