Hera will be launched at 5pm CET from Cape Canaveral, FL, carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, it said in a statement.

"Its mission is to study the Didymos binary asteroid system – including its internal properties for the first time – and to conduct detailed measurements of the kinetic impactor test results from NASA's DART mission. The 'eyes' of the probe, consisting of six optical cameras, were calibrated by BME researchers, who will also calibrate the images sent back from the spacecraft to provide scientists with accurate data for their analyses," the statement added.

HERA is expected to provide valuable information for future asteroid-deflecting missions "by aiding in the understanding of asteroid geophysics, as well as the formation and evolutionary processes of the Solar System," it said. It carries two mini satellites designed to orbit the asteroid and to make pictures, and conduct probes and observations, the university said.

The Department of Mechatronics, Optics and Mechanical Engineering Informatics (MOGI) of BME's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering calibrated the satellite's six optical cameras produced by German, French, Italian, Dutch and Italian companies. The cooperation was supported by the Hungarian delegation to the ESA, the statement said.

"We examined the cameras performing various tasks on several criteria, such as uniform imaging, sensitivity according to wavelength, absolute sensitivity of sensors, and characteristics of optical distortion. These tests were essential to ensure that scientists see reality, not an image distorted by the peculiarities of the sensors and optical systems," Balazs Vince Nagy, the BME coordinator of the project, said.

HERA is expected to reach the target asteroid, Didymos, and its moon, Domorphos, in 2027.

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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