Milani Satellite Passes Qualification and Acceptance Review
System Level Testing With the Hera Mothercraft Completed
The Milani satellite, built by Tyvak International, has passed its qualification and acceptance review for the Hera mission. System level testing was conducted with the Hera mothercraft at the ESA’s Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC).
“Today we formally declared Milani qualified for flight."
Ian Carnelli, ESA
Milani is dedicated to the visual inspection and dust detection of the Didymos asteroid following the DART impact. It will be launched aboard the ESA’s Hera mothercraft in late 2024. A critical component of the Hera planetary defense mission, Milani will be one of the ESA’s first deep-space nanosatellites, along with being one of the first nanosatellites ever to orbit an asteroid. Terran Orbital subsidiary Tyvak International is fully responsible for Milani’s design, build, and mission operations.
“Just a few months ago we delivered Milani to the ESA and now it has completed the intense campaign of system level testing with Hera, along with the ground segment, and ensured the validation of all the interfaces and the end-to-end communication prior to the launch. We are very proud of the work done so far and the successful completion of the Qualification and Acceptance Review,” Margherita Cardi said.
“Today we formally declared Milani qualified for flight. This is the result of extremely skilled professionals who invested extensive engineering, design, manufacturing, and testing hours. The ESA is grateful to every single member of the Tyvak International team for leading a complex European consortium in record time for this historical mission. I can’t wait to see the scientific wonders delivered by this technological marvel. With exploring a new world traveling over 400 million kilometers from our planet, sci-fi is becoming reality,” said ESA’s Hera Project Manager Ian Carnelli.