European Space Agency ESA successfully launched space probe HERA into space.
On board: “Asteroid Framing Camera” from Jena-Optronik.

The OHB System AG as prime contractor of HERA led the industrial consortium, including responsibility for the overall spacecraft design, development, assembly, and testing.

The Thuringian space specialist delivered a flight set of two of its ASTROhead space cameras as an “Asteroid Framing Camera” (short: AFC) for HERA to OHB System AG.

AFC will be used as payload on the ESA inspection probe HERA. The space probe is part of the research collaboration “Asteroid Impact Defection Assessment” (AIDA), a cooperation of space agencies NASA and ESA, focused on the double asteroid 65803 – Didymos and its companion “Didymoon” Dimorphos.

HERA follows the NASA space probe DART (short for “Double Asteroid Redirection Test” which successfully caused an intended collision with Dimorphos on September 26th, 2022 resulting in its controlled path change.
In contrast to DART, the main task of HERA will now be a characterization of the asteroid. Among other things, the probe is investigating the change in trajectory and gathering important findings on how to protect Earth and prevent potential asteroid impacts on our planet in the future.

Asteroid Framing Camera for HERA

The AFC is embedded in HERA’s attitude and orbit control system. It serves as scientific and technological instrument for image as well as data acquisition. Additionally, HERA receives information for navigation and positioning purposes from the AFC which are processed in the on board computer.

The Asteroid Framing Camera thus makes an indispensable contribution to HERA and increase the operational flexibility and performance of the mission.

During the close flybys of Dimorphos, the AFC will send images of the asteroid's surface to the attitude control system and make them available for scientific analyses. Special focus will be put on the traces that DART left at its collision.

A special optic for a special mission

The AFC is capable of detecting faint, point-like objects from a large distance, as well as generating images of the asteroid's surface at a close range.

Jena-Optronik has developed a special lense for the special purpose of this mission. First, it is characterized by a high sensitivity to light for navigation to the target asteroid. However, at the same time it is also designed to allow detailed observation at close range.

Thanks to its athermal opto-mechanical design, high image quality and contrast sharpness can be ensured over the operational temperature range from -30°C to 50°C.

“Special thanks go to Jena-Optronik’s #teamspace and especially our customer OHB as well as all the other involved project partners. At all times, the focus was on meeting the technical specifications as the basis for the success of the HERA mission, as well as adhering to the tight schedule – because: an asteroid doesn't wait.”, explains Dr. Axel Kwiatkowski, Project Manager HERA AFC at Jena-Optronik.