UNVEILING DIDYMOS MYSTERIES FOR PLANETARY DEFENSE: THE HERA MISSION AND ITS CUBESAT MILANI

The European Space Agency's Hera mission, launched on October 7th, 2024, is part of the international Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) collaboration for planetary defense.

Following NASA's DART mission, which successfully impacted the moonlet Dimorphos in 2022, Hera will provide critical follow-up observations of the Didymos binary asteroid system.

Set to arrive in October 2026, Hera’s objectives include detailed mapping of the impact crater, assessing changes in Dimorphos’ orbit, and studying its composition and structure.

A key component of the mission is the deployment of CubeSats, including Milani, which will contribute significantly to Hera’s scientific goals.

Milani is equipped with advanced instruments like hyperspectral and RGB imagers to study Dimorphos’ surface composition, providing insights into the asteroid’s makeup, and a dust detector to analyze any residual cloud environment from the DART impact. These data are essential for improving our understanding of asteroid deflection techniques.

The results from Hera will shape future planetary defense strategies, marking a critical step in safeguarding Earth from potential asteroid impacts.

Speakers:

Ian Carnelli

Ian Carnelli is responsible for the Hera mission at the European Space Agency. He holds a MSc in Aerospace Engineering from Polimi. He joined ESA in 2005 as member of the Advanced Concepts Team. He has been in charge of the General Studies Programme, leading the definition of several space mission concepts together with European industries and leading scientific institutions. Since 2015 he is leading a team of scientists and engineers within the Hera planetary defence mission, an interplanetary probe project to test a deviation technique called “kinetic impact”, conducted in collaboration with the NASA’s DART mission. In 2024 he was appointed as head of ESA’s System Department in the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality at ESTEC.

Margherita Cardi

Margherita Cardi is an experienced professional with a graduation and professional background in space engineering. She holds a MSc in Space Engineering from the University of Rome, Sapienza and she’s an expert in managing satellite missions, with a particular focus on deep space ones. She is No. 3 employee at Tyvak International and contributed to the company’s growth since its foundation; she started as a system engineer and grew towards a management role up to the current position of VP programs in which she is responsible for the company programs execution, project managers team coordination, objectives achievement, and liaising with customers. She’s currently also the program manager for the Hera Milani mission.

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Free admission, open to all members of the university community and the public, subject to availability.

29.10.2024