NASA announced a brand new spacecraft, the NEA Scout. The new spacecraft has completed all its required tests and is one of the payloads which will hitch a ride on the Artemis I, expected to launch in November 2021. Here’s everything you need to know.
What’s the NEA Scout all about?
The NEA Scout or Near-Earth Asteroid Scout is a very small spacecraft, almost the size of a large shoebox. It aims to fly by and collect data from asteroids near Earth. Moreover, it is the USA’s first interplanetary mission that uses solar sail propulsion. “This type of propulsion is especially useful for small, lightweight spacecraft that cannot carry large amounts of conventional rocket propellant,” said Les Johnson, the principal technology investigator for the mission. It will take about two years and will be 93 million miles away from the planet.
“The large-area sail will generate thrust by reflecting sunlight. Energetic particles of sunlight bounce off the solar sail to give it a gentle, yet constant push. Over time, this constant thrust can accelerate the spacecraft to very high speeds, allowing it to navigate through space and catch up to its target asteroid,” stated NASA’s official release.
How will the spaceship study the asteroid?
NEA Scout also carries special cameras which can take images ranging from 10 to 50 cm/pixels. Additionally, it can process and reduce image files before it sends them to the earth-based deep space network. The sout houses a medium gain antenna which allows the transfer of files.
“The images gathered by NEA Scout will provide critical information on the asteroid’s physical properties such as orbit, shape, volume, rotation, the dust and debris field surrounding it, plus it’s surface properties,” said Julie Castillo-Rogez. She is the principal science investigator for the mission at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). Understanding Near-Earth asteroids will help in developing strategies in case of a potential impact.