Technology “On-board implementation of the multi-purpose Event Timer (MPET)” that was developed by EDI in the framework of the European Space Agency project will be used in the European Space Agency’s planetary protection mission.
ESA has signed a € 129.4 million contract for the implementation of ESA’s first planetary protection mission, HERA. The aim of the project is to investigate the effectiveness of the shock impact to prevent the potential threat of asteroids to humanity in the future.
“It is a great pleasure that Latvia has joined European Space Agency as a associated Member and it is starting to bring a success. Success of Eventech confirms that Latvian entrepreneurs and scientists are able to join the provision of scientific research services and develop world-class technologies that will help solve globally important problems”, comments Ilga Šuplinska, Minister for Education and Science.
HERA is Europe’s contribution to the International Planetary Defense Mission in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is planned that NASA’s spacecraft DART will be launched into space on July 2021 and will collide with on of the asteroids close to Earth named “Didymos”. HERA, in turn, will conduct an impact inspection and measurements to determine if the DART kinetic impact can divert the asteroid from its flight path. This large-scale experiment would result in a well-understood and reproducible asteroid diversion technique.