Espoo-based space technology and expertise are embarking on the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission to test ways to deflect potentially dangerous asteroids from impacting Earth.
VTT created a hyperspectral camera, ASPECT, to test the deflection technology. Aalto University, together with the University of Helsinki, handles data processing, equipment testing, and the mission's scientific planning. Kuva Space designed the camera's data processing unit and the life-support systems for the two CubeSats.
The Hera mission will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 7 October 2024. The mission will study the Didymos binary asteroid, which NASA's DART probe hit in September 2022.
Related stories
Generative AI was used to write this article.
Image: NASA, Unsplash