Tyvak's Milani nanosat advances in Hera mission with successful test readiness review

Tyvak's Milani nanosat advances in Hera mission with successful test readiness review
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 18, 2023

Tyvak International has reached a significant milestone in the development of the Milani nano spacecraft, a vital component of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera planetary defense mission. This achievement was marked by the successful completion of the Test Readiness Review, a critical step in the project's progress.

Milani holds the distinction of being ESA's first foray into deep-space nanosatellite technology and is set to be the first nanosatellite to orbit an asteroid. Tyvak International, a subsidiary of Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), spearheads the design, construction, and mission operations of Milani. This endeavor brings together a consortium of European industries and research centers from Finland, Czech Republic, and Italy, showcasing a collaborative European effort in space exploration.

The Hera mission, of which Milani is a part, represents a groundbreaking initiative in planetary defense. Following NASA's DART spacecraft's successful impact on asteroid Dimorphos, Hera aims to conduct a comprehensive post-impact survey. This survey is intended to refine asteroid deflection techniques into a well-understood and repeatable method for planetary defense. Hera's mission is pioneering in several aspects: it will be the first probe to rendezvous with a binary asteroid system, employing novel technologies for autonomous navigation and low-gravity proximity operations, thus reinforcing Europe's position as a global leader in space exploration and defense.

Milani is named in honor of Professor Andrea Milani, a pioneer in asteroid risk analysis. His original concept for the double-spacecraft Don Quijote mission laid the groundwork for the current DART-Hera missions. Milani, serving as Hera's companion nanosatellite, will be equipped with advanced instruments like the ASPECT hyperspectral imager, developed by VTT in Finland, the VISTA dust detector, and a Navigation Camera engineered by Tyvak International with Politecnico di Milano's collaboration for Image Processing algorithms. Additionally, laser reflectors from INFN, Italy, will facilitate unprecedented measurements of the asteroid's gravity field in conjunction with Hera's laser range finder.

Marc Bell, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Terran Orbital, expressed pride in Tyvak International's achievement, emphasizing the trust placed in Tyvak by ESA and their commitment to delivering innovative satellite solutions for missions like Hera.

Margherita Cardi, Tyvak International's VP of Programs and Milani Program Manager, highlighted the Test Readiness Review as a crucial milestone, reflecting on the emotional journey of assembling the satellite. Similarly, ESA Hera Project Manager Ian Carnelli praised the engineering efforts and the commitment shown by Tyvak International in bringing the project from concept to reality, expressing anticipation for the upcoming environmental test campaign and subsequent integration with the Hera spacecraft.

The next significant phase for the Milani Satellite involves the Environmental Test Campaign at the Laboratorio di Qualifica Spaziale of CIRA in Capua, Italy. Following these tests, the satellite will return to Tyvak for final testing and verification before its scheduled delivery to ESA in early 2024. This delivery will support Hera's electromagnetic compatibility test campaign and extensive System Validation Tests, which include the mission ground segment.