The European Space Agency (ESA) is about to examine the interior of an asteroid for the first time using radar. The radar component of a small satellite called CubeSat has been delivered to ESA for integration with the spacecraft sent to study the asteroid Dimorphos. This CubeSat, named Juventas, will be part of the agency’s Hera mission, which aims to investigate the consequences of the Dimorphos’ collision with NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft last September.

The purpose of DART was to influence Dimorphos in a way that would alter the space rock’s orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos. While Dimorphos and Didymos pose no threat to us, they were excellent objects to see if a collision with an asteroid could alter its trajectory. If so, scientists will know they can use tactics to protect our planet if necessary. In short, the mission was a great success. This officially puts a checkmark on NASA’s ambitious plan to create a planetary defense mechanism to protect Earth from potentially harmful asteroids.

ESA now plans to send the Hera probe and two accompanying CubeSats to probe Dimorphos after the collision for further study. Hera is expected to launch in October 2024, and Juventus’ stint will run for about two months after their encounter with the Dimorphos.

The mission will examine every aspect of DART’s impact on the asteroid, including gravimetric measurements, mining exploration and internal radar analysis. Juventas CubeSat will do this radar analysis.

The Juventas Radar System (JuRa) will be the smallest radar system ever sent into space. Developed at the Grenoble Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics (IPAG) and the University of Grenoble-Alpes in France, this system was recently handed over to ESA for Juventas integration. JuRa is not much larger than a Rubik’s cube, but has the power of a full-fledged radar system. Once JuRa enters Dimorphos’ orbit, it will be able to scan about 330 feet (100 meters) into the 525-foot (160-meter) diameter asteroid.

IPAG’s principal investigator for JuRa, Alain Eric, says transferring JuRa to the spacecraft is a “definite milestone”. According to the statement on the space agency’s website, his team had been preparing for the ESA transfer for weeks.

But his work isn’t finished yet.

“IPAG and our project partners will monitor the integration process, particularly in terms of communication with the rest of the CubeSat, to optimize the performance of the completed device and calibrate its performance to ensure we best interpret our scientific data, perhaps once we go into space,” Eric said in an ESA publication. .

Dimorphos’ post-DART impact study is seen as a critical step in the ultimate planetary defense initiative, and Juventas is poised to deliver promising results.

“Juventas will be doing the first radar probe inside an asteroid. I hope to see deep inside, but radar penetration is very dependent on what’s inside; if it’s a pile of sand, we’ll have less scatter and go deeper, compared to larger rocks that are more scattered and don’t see far. “It’s one of the main unknowns we want to measure,” said Eric. “The scientific payoff must be great.” Source