HyperScout-H: the hyperspectral imager for the ESA Hera mission

TL;DR

HyperScout-H is a hyperspectral imager on ESA's Hera mission, designed to analyze asteroid composition, surface effects, and environment, providing valuable spectral data to complement other instruments for planetary defense research.

Contribution

This paper introduces the HyperScout-H hyperspectral imager, detailing its design, calibration, and expected scientific contributions for asteroid characterization in the Hera mission.

Findings

Pre-flight calibration of HyperScout-H completed.

Laboratory tests demonstrate instrument's spectral capabilities.

Software toolbox developed for data processing.

Abstract

The HyperScout-H (HS-H) instrument is one of the payloads aboard ESA's Hera spacecraft. Hera is a planetary defence mission that aims to provide a detailed characterization of the near-Earth binary asteroid (65803) Didymos-Dimorphos after the NASA/DART mission impact. HS-H is a versatile dual-use payload, functioning as a hyperspectral imager that captures both images and spectral data within the 0.65--0.95 $\mu$m wavelength range. The observations from this instrument will offer key insights regarding the composition of the two bodies Didymos and Dimorphos, space weathering effects, and the potential presence of exogenous material on these asteroids. Thanks to its wide field of view ($\approx 15.5^\circ \times 8.3^\circ$ in paraxial approximation), HS-H will be able to monitor the system's orbital dynamic and dust environment. At the same time, both components of this binary asteroid remain in the field of view for most of the asteroid phase of the mission. These results also complement the data obtained from other instruments in characterizing the geomorphological units. The data that will be obtained by HS-H will enable the creation of maps highlighting key spectral features, such as taxonomic classification, spectral slope, and band parameters. This article presents the pre-flight calibration of the instrument, outlines the science objectives, and discusses the expected investigations. The instrument's capabilities are demonstrated through laboratory observations of two meteorite samples and a dedicated software toolbox was developed specifically for processing the instrument's data.