Tyvak International, a European leader in small satellite solutions, announced today , together with its project partners, the passing of the Test Readiness Review of the Milani spacecraft. A fundamental component of the Hera planetary defense mission, Milani will be the first deep space nanosatellite of the European Space Agency (ESA). Milani will also be the first nanosatellite ever to orbit an asteroid. Tyvak International is responsible for the design, construction and operations of Milani in the mission. In this exploration, Tyvak International is supported by an exceptional consortium of European industries and research centers located in Finland, the Czech Republic and Italy.

As part of the world's first asteroid deflection test, following the successful impact of NASA's DART spacecraft on the asteroid Dimorphos, Hera will carry out a detailed post-impact inspection transforming the #39;experiment in a repeatable and well-understood planetary defense technique. To achieve its goals, Hera will use new technologies, from autonomous navigation around an asteroid to proximity operations in very low gravity conditions. Hera will be mankind's first probe to encounter a binary asteroid system and Europe's first flagship planetary defense project.

Milani, named after Professor Andrea Milani, pioneer of asteroid risk analysis and author of the original concept of the dual spacecraft Don Quijote mission from which the DART-Hera missions were derived, is a nanosatellite accompanying Hera , carried by the mother probe on its journey to Didymos and finally released in its vicinity. Milani's instruments are the ASPECT hyperspectral camera (from VTT, Finland), the VISTA (Volatile In-Situ Thermogravimetre Analyser) dust detector and the navigation developed by Tyvak International in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Milan for image processing algorithms. Finally, laser reflectors (from INFN, Italy) will allow unprecedented measurements of the asteroid's gravitational field, together with the laser rangefinder with which Hera is equipped.

Tyvak International is part of Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) (“Terran Orbital” or the “Company”), a global leader in satellite solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. “Terran Orbital is proud of Tyvak International's milestone with the Test Readiness Review,” said Marc Bell, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Terran Orbital. “We are honored by the trust placed in Tyvak International by ESA and will be proud to continue to design, build, supply and operate cutting-edge satellite solutions for missions such as Mission Hera.”

“We have always been proud to be part of such a compelling mission and the Test Readiness Review is a critical step for the program,” said Margherita Cardi, Tyvak International Vice President of Programs and Milani Program Manager. "Over the last few months we have assembled the satellite and seen it take shape day after day; it was an exciting and very emotional phase for me and for the whole team”.

“Admiring the fully integrated Milani spacecraft arouses many emotions that repay the tens of thousands of hours spent on cutting-edge engineering work,” said ESA's Hera Project Manager, Ian Carnelli. “Tyvak International has demonstrated unprecedented commitment to making these projects a reality; We look forward to the completion of the environmental test campaign and the start of testing with the Hera spacecraft. A step forward in the approach to Didymos”.

The next important step for the Milani satellite is the execution of the environmental testing campaign at the CIRA Space Qualification Laboratory (Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Capua, Italy); after which the satellite will be returned to Tyvak for final tests and checks. Milani will be delivered to ESA at the beginning of 2024, to support the Hera electromagnetic compatibility test campaign and the extensive System Validation Tests (SVTs), which also include the ground segment of the mission.

Tyvak International

Tyvak International, part of Terran Orbital Corporation, is a leading European supplier of nano and microsatellites, headquartered in Turin, Italy. Expert in miniaturization and specialized in execution and supply, Tyvak International is prime contractor of the European Space Agency for the Milani mission and coordinates a team of 12 institutes, universities, research centers and companies in Italy and throughout Europe. More information on the websitewww.tyvak.eu.

Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industry. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, manufacturing, launch planning, mission operations and in-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil and commercial customers. More information on the website www.terranorbital.com.

Disclaimer: Please note that what is expressed here should not be interpreted in any way as the official opinion of the European Space Agency.

The original text of this announcement, written in the source language, is the official version that is authentic. Translations are offered solely for the reader's convenience and must refer to the original language text, which is the only legally valid one.\

 

 

Source:businesswire.com

Report Abuse