On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) organized a press conference at cosine’s headquarters in Sassenheim, The Netherlands. The press conference featured Dutch experts involved in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera mission, set to launch on October 7, 2024, including cosine with its HyperScout H hyperspectral imager.
Hera mission
An asteroid impact on Earth could have severe consequences. This is why NASA and ESA subjected the asteroid binary system Didymos and its moonlet Dimorphos to a test and study. In September 2022, NASA made history by successfully deflecting an asteroid for the first time. They achieved this by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into Dimorphos.
In early October, ESA will take the next step with the launch of Hera, a spacecraft designed to closely examine the impact on Dimorphos. Hera will study the impact crater and analyze Dimorphos’s new orbit around Didymos. The Netherlands, along with cosine, is actively involved in this critical mission to gather knowledge that may help protect Earth in the future. Our company is contributing to the mission with a sensor, known as HyperScout H, which will measure Dimorphos’s composition.
What will the progress of the Hera mission look like? What do we hope to discover from it? And how is the Netherlands contributing to this international effort? All these questions were addressed during the press conference held at cosine’s headquarters. The attendees also received a guided tour of cosine’s 1,300 m² cleanrooms and high-tech facilities, where we develop our cutting-edge measurement systems and instruments. This is where we also produce our remote sensing solutions, including the Scout product line, to meet the diverse needs of our clients.
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. We combine physics and technology to bring out-of-the-box solutions to our clients. We have been developing and delivering innovative measurement systems for space and industrial applications since 1998. Our company operates 1,300 m² of cleanrooms and high-tech assembly facilities to build and test the systems we produce for our customers at our headquarters in Sassenheim, The Netherlands.
