Will the European Space Agency launch the PLATO spacecraft before 2027?

Prediction market on metaculus. On February 19, 2014, [the European Space Agency (ESA) released a press release](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_selects_planet-hunting_PLATO_mission) selecting > a space-based observatory to search for planets orbiting alien stars... The PLATO – Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars – mission was selected by ESA’s Science Programme Committee for implementation as part of its Cosmic Vision 2015–25 Programme. On June 17, 2017, [the ESA officially adopted the PLATO mission](https://www.engadget.com/2017-06-20-esa-plato-earth-twin-launches-2026.html) with a scheduled launch of 2026. In October, 2015, [PLATO had been constructed and was ready for testing](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Plato/Completed_Plato_spacecraft_is_ready_for_final_tests). A launch date in December 2026 is still on track, although "before graduating for launch, the spacecraft will have to pass a series of tough exams". According to [ESA](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Plato), > ESA’s mission PLATO will use its 26 cameras to study terrestrial exoplanets in orbits up to the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. The mission will measure the sizes of exoplanets and discover exomoons and rings around them. Plato will also characterise planets' host stars by studying tiny light variations in the starlight it receives.

Resolves: 1/10/2027.