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PLATO 2.0 (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillation of stars) will the the 3rd medium class mission (M3) of the Cosmic Vision scientific programme of the European Space Agency. It was selected in February 2014,with a launch date planned for late 2024 and six years of operations which extend up to the end of the next decade. PLATO 2.0 will place European researchers, and Spanish ones in particular, at the forefront of exoplanetary science, benefiting from the expertise acquired or to be acquired with precursor missions as CoRot, Kepler, Cheops and TESS, as well as from the development of complementary ground-based facilities for radial velocity measurements of exoplanetary systems candidates (like CARMENES at Calar Alto). The Spanish contributions to the development of PLATO 2.0 are very significant, including the focal plane assemblies and main electronics units (digital processing and power supply), as well as the optical verification in thermal vacuum of 8 out of the 34 PLATO 2.0 telescopes. PLATO will enter the implementation phase in 2016, after the System Requirements Review to be performed by ESA, with a delivery of the telescopes planned for 2021-2022. PLATO 2.0 will be dedicated to the detailed analysis of exoplanetary systems (including the detection of >10 Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars), and to the asteroseismical study of their central stars. Both objectives require ultra-high photometric accuracy of ~3×10-5 and an extensive ground based follow-up observational program to measure the radial velocity curves of the candidate systems. By combining the results from transits, asteroseismology and radial velocities it will be possible to fully characterize exoplanetary systems: orbital periods, density and evolutionary state, starting a new age of comparative (exo-)planetology. PLATO 2.0 will therefore be crucial for placing our own Solar System into a comprehensive context of exo-planetary systems.. The contribution to PLATO 2.0 will be performed by a coordinated team participated by CAB, INTA, IAA, UGr and IAC scientists and engineers, with the support of many additional researchers working on the fields of exoplanets and/or asteroseismology which will become incorporated in future grant proposals. The definition of PLATO 2.0 operational strategy requires a deep understanding on exoplanetary systems. Our team will also contribute to this topic by performing an ambitious research program over the next 10 years based on observations from existing and future missions, including also the JWST, as well as from major ground based observatories. This is a long-term activity, which will be complemented by additional activities related to other space missions in operation or nearing completion: INTEGRAL/OMC operations (calibration, data processing and archiving, support to ESA,…),support during the final phases and operations of the NOMAD instrument on ExoMars, Bepi Colombo MIXS final delivery, including the required support during the integration and testing campaign at the spacecraft, and management support by providing the Project Office for the phase A studies of the cryostat+cryoharness of the Athena X-IFU instrument, to be developed in parallel at CAB and INTA.

PLATO 2.0 (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillation of stars) será la 3ª misión de tamaño medio (M3) del programa científico de la Agencia Espacial Europea (Cosmic Vision). Fue seleccionada en febrero de 2014, con un lanzamiento previsto para finales de 2024 y una vida útil de 6 años, que se extenderán hasta el final de la próxima década. PLATO 2.0 posicionará a los investigadores europeos, y a los españoles en particular, en la vanguardia de la investigación en exoplanetas, aprovechando la experiencia adquirida o por adquirir con misiones precursoras como CoRot, Kepler, Cheops y TESS, así como con el desarrollo de instrumentación terrena para la medida de las velocidades radiales de estrellas candidatas a albergar sistemas exoplanetarios (como CARMENES en Calar Alto). La contribución española al desarrollo de PLATO 2.0 es muy significativa, incluyendo tanto el plano focal y la electrónica principal (el procesado digital y la fuente de energía) como la verificación de la calidad óptica en condiciones de vacío térmico de 8 de los 34 telescopios de PLATO 2.0. PLATO comenzará su fase de implementación en el 2016, tras la revisión de los requerimientos del sistema realizada por ESA, con la entrega de los telescopios prevista para 2021-2022. PLATO 2.0 estará dedicado al estudio detallado de sistemas exoplanetarios (incluyendo la detección de más de 10 planetas tipo terrestre en la zona de habitabilidad de estrellas de tipo solar) y al estudio astrosismológico de la estrella central. Ambos objetivos requieren una precisión fotométrica de ~3×10-5 y un intensivo programa de seguimiento desde tierra con objeto de medir velocidades radiales de los candidatos. La combinación de estas tres técnicas (tránsitos, astrosismología y velocidad radial) permite una completa caracterización de los sistemas exoplanetarios: periodos orbitales, configuración orbital, densidades y estado evolutivo, abriendo una nueva época de (exo-)planetología comparada que permitirá ubicar nuestro Sistema Solar en el contexto global de sistemas exoplanetarios. La contribución a PLATO 2.0 será realizada por un equipo coordinado en el que participan científicos e ingenieros del CAB, IAA, UGr y del IAC, con el apoyo de numerosos científicos adicionales que trabajan en los campos de exoplanetas y astrosismología, que se incorporarán al equipo en el futuro. La definición de la estrategia operacional de PLATO 2.0 requiere de un profundo conocimiento de las propiedades de los sistemas exoplanetarios. Nuestro equipo contribuirá también a esta actividad llevando a cabo un ambicioso programa de investigación en los próximos 10 años, basado en observaciones mediante misiones presentes y futuras, incluyendo también el JWST, así como mediante los principales observatorios terrenos. Se trata de una actividad a largo plazo, que será complementada con actividades adicionales relacionadas con otras misiones ya operativas o próximas a ser completadas: operaciones de INTEGRAL/OMC (calibración, procesado y archivado de datos, soporte a la ESA,…), apoyo en las fases finales y operación del instrumento NOMAD a bordo de ExoMars, entregas finales de Bepi Colombo MIXS, incluyendo el apoyo preciso durante las fases de integración y pruebas a nivel satélite, así como la gestión que la Oficina de Proyecto proporcionará a los estudios de Fase A del criostato+criocableado del instrumento X-IFU a bordo d ela misión Athena, que está siendo desarrollado en paralelo en el CAB y el INTA.

The activities we are proposing will have an important impact, both from their technological and scientific perspectives. First of all, OMC is for the time being the only instrument onboard a mission of the ESA Science Programme under responsibility of a Spanish team. We have been involved already for 20 years in its development and operations, and this activity has contributed to the formation of a generation of space scientists. On the other hand, the development of Bepi Colombo MIXS is being a technological challenge for Spanish scientists and engineers at INTA and external companies, due to the strict specifications required to operate in the vicinity of the Sun. In this sense it is important to stress that the expertise and prestige we gained during the development of INTEGRAL-OMC, Eddington and MIXS has been essential to be invited to participate in the PLATO and Athena studies. The participation in MIXS will also allow to form a new generation of scientist specialized in rocky planets geology, taking advantage of the close collaboration with the leading groups in Europe within the Bepi Colombo Scientific Consortium. Furthermore, PLATO will put our teams and all Spanish scientists involved in exoplanets and asteroseismology at the forefront of the field for years to come. The results of this project will be summarized in a number of technical documents that will be delivered to ESA as part of the Bepi Colombo, PLATO and Athena documentation packages. The most relevant technical results will be presented in international conferences and will be published in refereed journals, as it was done for OMC in the past. The scientific results expected from the different sub-groups will be at the forefront of their respective fields, as shown by the results obtained up to now by the teams contributing to this proposal. They will be published in international refereed journals of each field, as usual. Moreover, our team has always made an effort to dedicate enough time to public awareness activities, participating systematically in public events, giving talks and seminars in schools and universities, writing popularization papers and contributions in blogs and newspapers (J.M. Mas-Hesse is the Spanish delegate at the ESO Outreach Network). We plan to continue and reinforce these activities in the future, with the aim to contribute to invert the current trend of less and less young students becoming interested in space sciences at European level.