# ESA's Plato Exoplanet Mission Enters Thermal Vacuum Testing - Date: 2026-03-13 - Category: Space & Aerospace # ESA's Plato Exoplanet Mission Enters Thermal Vacuum Testing Europe's hunt for Earth-like exoplanets is heating up — literally. The European Space Agency's Plato spacecraft is now sealed inside the Large Space Simulator at ESA's Test Centre, undergoing a series of space-like thermal vacuum tests. ---