Noise reduction in asteroid imaging using a miniaturized spectral imager

In October 2024, European Space Agency’s Hera mission will be launched, targeting the binary asteroid Didymos. Hera will host the Juventas and Milani CubeSats, the first CubeSats to orbit close to a small celestial body performing scientific and technological operations. The primary scientific payload of the Milani CubeSat is the SWIR, NIR, and VIS imaging spectrometer ASPECT. The Milani mission objectives include mapping the global composition and the characterization of the binary asteroid surface. Onboard data processing and evaluation steps will be applied due to the limited data budget for the downlink to Earth and to perform the technological demonstration of a novel semi-autonomous h…