Antonov Airlines transports ESA's ‘Hera’ spacecraft to the US
The spacecraft was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 earlier this month to study the DART impactor's results.
The Ukrainian cargo airline Antonov Airlines, in partnership with Ceva Logistics, has transported a 40-tonne shipment including a container carrying a satellite and additional equipment from Cologne-Bonn, Germany, to Titusville, USA, using its AN-124 aircraft.
The special spacecraft ‘Hera’ developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of its space safety programme, has been safely delivered to NASA's shuttle launch and landing facility. Earlier this month the spacecraft was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle and will study the results of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) impactor, four years after impact, mentions the official release by Antonov Airlines.
The DART impactor was a NASA spacecraft created for the purpose of deliberately colliding with an asteroid to test a technique for asteroid deflection.
NASA's DART spacecraft collided with the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022. Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits a larger asteroid known as Didymos.
According to NASA, the spacecraft ‘Hera’ has a total launch mass of approximately 1,214 kg, with a dry mass of 696 kg. ‘Hera’ is equipped with two Asteroid Framing Cameras (AFCs), a Hyperscout-H spectral imager, and a Thermal InfraRed Imager (TIRI), mounted on its upper deck. It has two CubeSats, Juvenitas and Milani.
The ESA states that ‘Hera’ will conduct an in-depth post-impact survey of the target asteroid, Dimorphos, which is the moonlet of the binary asteroid system known as Didymos. ‘Hera’ aims to transform this large-scale experiment into a well-understood and replicable planetary defence method by showcasing new technologies, including autonomous navigation around asteroids and low-gravity proximity operations.
It will also enable the deployment of and communication with CubeSats in interplanetary space.
The container was loaded onto the aircraft using the rear ramp and on-board cranes, eliminating the need for additional ground equipment. Meanwhile, the remaining cargo was loaded through the front ramp. The aircraft's technical specifications enable efficient onloading and offloading operations, the release added.
“Regarding your service. Your crew performed very well! They were prepared and knew what to do. High-class work! Really appreciated. Especially the cooperation/communication with Eugene Kiva, the Flight Manager, was very good”, comments Alexander Rosenthal, Aerospace Special Projects Coordinator - Ceva Logistics.
“That was an outstanding and extraordinary experience. The satellite, being a highly sensitive cargo, must have been carried with extreme caution. Our team must have kept the relevant levels of temperatures, G-forces, and other conditions during the flight for smooth delivery. We also had to control the appropriate satellite parameters on the ground in every airport on the route, constantly, says Eugene Kiva, Flight Manager, Antonov Airlines.
Both the flight crew and technical team cooperation concluded into a successful mission. We are proud to be a part of this project, that may be one of the significant steps of discovering the universe and its secrets and getting life-saving knowledge for future generations”.
