This week in the podcast Let’s talk about defense and security of Infodefensa, Mariella Graziano y Pablo Colmenarejo of GMV They explain the details of the European mission Hera and its scientific and technological implications. Listen here.
Led by Europe with crucial participation of the Spanish multinational GMVthe mission is part of an ambitious program to protect the land from possible asteroid impacts.
“Hera It is the first European planetary defense mission. We call it the mission First time Because it has been the first time of many things, “explains Graziano, director of Strategy and business development of science, exploration and transportation of GMV. For its part, Colmenarejo, responsible for the satellite flight control system Heradetails the complexity of the mission: “We are going to a binary asteroid. It is not a normal asteroid. They are two great bodies that are rotating one around the other. So that makes the mission much more complicated.”
The scientific importance of the mission Hera It lies in its ability to verify the real impact of a collision against an asteroid. “This will help the models within the planetary defenses are much more precise. It is necessary to have a model to predict the effect of an eventual blow to an asteroid. DART The asteroid has hit, Hera will measure this effect. The data we will collect with Hera They will help make these prediction models much more precise, “says Graziano.
-The role of GMV in this international project has been fundamental, as Graziano explains: “In GMV we have developed the guided, navigation and control system, which is like the pilot. All spacecraft move in space with a pilot, which makes decisions and that follows a certain trajectory and that takes you where you want to go.”
The biggest challenge: autonomy in deep space
According to Colmenarejo, “the most complicated theme has been that we are far from the earth. Communications take a long time, send a message to the probe and wait back the answer is at least half an hour and they can spend several hours.” He adds that “the system itself, the software that carries on board and all the sensors and propellants have to be able to react in real time”, which adds complexity to the operation.
The mission Hera It represents a milestone in international space collaboration and the first European defense line against asteroids. After their first successful evidence, which included a Mars overflow maneuver, the ship will remain “asleep” about a year until reaching its final destination: be our eyes in the deep space to better understand how to defend us from possible cosmic threats.
