Shake it up

During the first part of the test campaign, Plato’s structural model was placed on top of two shakers, the Multi shaker and the QUAD shaker, to simulate the vibrations encountered during launch. The Multi shaker moved Plato in the left-right and forward-backward directions. The QUAD shaker, pictured below, simulated oscillations in the up-down direction. Together the shakers can test spacecraft up to 10 000 kg for vibrations in three dimensions. This series of tests was essential to make sure Plato can survive the first two minutes of launch, during which the most extreme shocks are encountered.