Asteroid's insides to be examined by ESA radar satellite probe
The target for the ESA's Hera mission is Dimorphos, a 160 meter-long asteroid that is part of the Didymos binary asteroid system, alongside the 780 meter-long Didymos.
Asteroid illustrative (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) are testing the
smallest radar system ever flown into space to take a look at the inside
of an asteroid.
The
radar will be launched onboard the Juventas CubeSat, a nanosatellite
measuring 10x20x30 cm, around the size of a breadbox, in the ESA's Hera
mission during 2024. Many other institutions have used CubeSats, such as
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, who launched three such
satellites in March 2021 as part of its Adelis-SAMSON project.
The
target for this mission is Dimorphos, a 160 meter-long asteroid that is
part of the Didymos binary asteroid system, alongside the 780
meter-long Didymos.
To prepare for the mission, the ESA is carrying out a test
campaign, which is being done in the Hybrid European Radio Frequency and
Antenna Test Zone, also known as the Hertz chamber, in the
Netherlands-based European Space Research and Technology Centre
following an upgrade.
The Adelis-SAMSON nanosatellite. (credit: NITZAN ZOHAR/TECHNION SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
“An
essential element of anechoic test chambers like Hertz are the
radio-absorbing foam spikes lining the inside walls, allowing tests to
mimic the infinite void of space,” explained ESA antenna engineer Paul
Moseley in a statement.
“But typically Hertz can only test down to 400 MHz, while
Juventas’s main antennas will radiate at 60 MHz. At this frequency the
spikes no longer absorb signals, so instead of a dark room the chamber
would be turned into a hall of mirrors, throwing out multiple radio
reflections that interfere with the accuracy of our measurements.”
The
mission, which will see the probe look around 100 meters inside the
asteroid, is currently slated for 2024, and will also include another
CubeSat to study the composition of the asteroid's surface.
Asteroid exploration
is a major field in astronomy, and many space agencies have expressed
interest in exploring the many large objects in the solar system.
Three nations have landed on asteroids in the past, and many see
them as possible sources for future mining operations, as these
asteroids can be rich in raw materials.
While the Hera mission is currently slated for 2024, NASA is beating ESA to the punch with its upcoming Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission.
Set to be launched in November 2021, the mission will see a spacecraft
launched at the Didymos system to test the possibility of asteroid
deflection.
In
layman's terms, it means punching an asteroid with a rocket with enough
speed to change its direction by a fraction of a percent.
The
ESA is watching the DART Mission with interest, and the Hera mission
will be able to take an up-close look at DART's collision.
“It
has taken a lot of hard work to reach the point of launching this first
planetary defense mission – we’re wishing our US counterparts a great
and well-deserved success,” said Ian Carnelli, overseeing ESA’s Hera mission.
“DART
and Hera were originally conceived on a coordinated double-spacecraft
basis, with one mission to perform the deflection and the other to
perform precision measurements of the result.”
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