InnaLabs’ gyroscope unit will track the spacecraft’s spin rate as it tumbles away from its Ariane 6 launcher following liftoff.
Dublin-based InnaLabs has developed a gyroscope navigation system, which is set to launch on a European space mission today (7 October).
The technology is part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera mission, which a planetary defence mission that will investigate the Didymos binary asteroid system.
InnaLabs’ gyroscope unit, named ARIETIS-NS, will track the spacecraft’s spin rate as it tumbles away from its Ariane 6 launcher following liftoff, which is scheduled for launch just before 3pm Irish time today.
Founded in 2012 by John O’Leary, InnaLabs is based in Blanchardstown, Dublin, and has been built on many years of experience in the field of inertial sensors technology.
The company’s technology was chosen to be part of the Hera mission in 2020 and is designed to withstand the harsh environments of space.
O’Leary said he is very proud of the company for creating “Irish space heritage”.
“InnaLabs has navigation sensors and systems that have accrued over 5m hours in space. Our involvement with almost all major space primes, who now rely on our inertial sensor technology on missions worth billions, is a testament to their trust in our products,” he said.
“I want to thank all concerned as this is a great success story for the Irish space strategy and our improving ecosystem to join the global space boom.”
Hera is the second mission heading to the Didymos asteroid system, following NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) in 2022.
While the Didymos asteroid pair poses no threat to Earth, it is an ideal candidate to test how we might defend our planet from asteroids.
Following the DART mission’s successful alteration of the asteroid’s orbit, Hera will measure the outcome of that kinetic impactor test in great detail, which will increase our understanding of asteroid geophysics as well as solar system formation and evolutionary processes.
After its launch, Hera will use a flyby of Mars next year that will place it on a trajectory to reach the asteroids at the end of 2026.
As well as navigation technology from InnaLabs, the mission will see Belfast astronomer Prof Alan Fitzsimmons at ground control for the launch.
“Scientists and engineers from all over the world have been involved; it’s an example of best practice in international scientific collaboration for the greater good,” Fitzsimmons said.
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