A Spectral Glimpse of Mars by HyperScout

11 March 2025

A Spectral Glimpse of Mars by HyperScout

On March 12, 2025, the Hera spacecraft will perform a gravity assist maneuver at Mars, gaining the push needed to set course for the Didymos binary system. But this flyby is also a prime scientific opportunity, during which Hera’s payloads—including cosine’s HyperScout H—will collect valuable scientific data on Mars and its moon, Deimos.

On Monday, October 7, 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the Hera spacecraft as part of a planetary defense mission aimed at protecting Earth from potential asteroid impacts. Aboard the spacecraft is a cutting-edge innovation: the HyperScout H, a visual-near infrared spectral imager that will analyze various surface compositions by capturing detailed spectral images.

Three days after launch, the HyperScout H captured its first iconic spectral image of the Earth-Moon system as a commissioning and calibration target.

On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Hera will approach Mars, coming within 5,000 km of the planet’s surface and 300 km of its distant and enigmatic moon, Deimos. During this flyby, Hera will perform detailed observations of both Mars and the city-sized Deimos using its payloads. HyperScout H will capture vivid imagery, unveiling the mineral diversity of Mars and its moons, Deimos and Phobos.

You can follow the live event this Thursday, as scientists working on ESA’s Hera mission for planetary defence release the mission’s first scientific observations beyond the Earth-Moon system, following its imminent flyby of Mars.

About HyperScout
HyperScout H is a hyperspectral imager covering the 650–950 nm wavelength range. The shoebox-sized imaging spectrometer was provided by cosine Remote Sensing in the Netherlands.

About cosine
cosine is a leading worldwide company in the development of space instrumentation, such as Silicon Pore Optics for astronomy and remote sensing solutions with onboard analytics for Earth Observation and planetary science. The company combines physics and technology to bring out-of-the-box solutions to its clients. cosine has been developing and delivering innovative measurement systems for space and industrial applications since 1998. cosine operates 1,000 m2 of cleanrooms and high-tech assembly facilities to build and test the systems we produce for customers at our headquarters in Sassenheim, The Netherlands.

Cover photo credit: ESA