Empowering space missions through advanced communication infrastructure
Underscoring TEKEVER’s continued commitment to ESA collaborations and projects

08 October 2024 – TEKEVER, the market leader in advanced unmanned aerial technology systems, proudly announces the successful launch of the groundbreaking HERA Mission – the first mission for planetary defense by humankind. This pioneering effort is a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA, to explore the potential to alter the trajectory of asteroids threatening Earth. Building on its partnership with OHB, the European developer of low-orbit and geostationary satellites, TEKEVER supplied its cutting-edge Inter-Satellite Link (ISL) technology, which deploys a unique communications and relative positioning infrastructure. This technology enabled the three satellites involved in the mission to communicate among themselves and take more precise measurements. This combined capability of communications and position determination was an essential component of the success of the mission.

The mission comprised of three units: the main spacecraft, Hera, accompanied by two CubeSats, Juventus, and Milani. TEKEVER’s technology was integral to all three units, ensuring seamless communication among them and enhancing the overall mission effectiveness. The data gathered during this mission will be essential for enhancing our knowledge of kinetic impact and paving the way for a reliable planetary defense strategy to protect Earth from incoming asteroids in the future.

Ricardo Mendes, CEO of TEKEVER, commented: “Today marks a historic milestone for TEKEVER as our equipment took to the skies. This mission affirms our pivotal role in the space market and highlights how we continue to push the boundaries of space exploration while demonstrating the reliability of our flight-proven equipment. This planetary defense mission represents the culmination of years of work, dedication and innovation, underscoring our commitment to advancing space technology.” In addition to the Hera Mission, TEKEVER is actively collaborating on other ESA missions and space projects.

About the ESA mission The ESA’s Hera spacecraft will fly to Didymos, a 780-metre-diameter asteroid, in November 2024 to assess the aftermath of the collision between NASA’s DART spacecraft and Dimorphos, a moonlet that orbits Didymos, that took place on 26 September 2022. Hera is expected to reach the two asteroids in late 2026 and will gather information such as the size of DART’s crater, and the mass and structure of Dimorphos.