Elche technology travels 197 million kilometres to help protect Earth from asteroids

Minister Diana Morant commends the importance of EMXYS, a company based in Elche, as a key player in the space sector. The small city has contributed significantly to a mission that could one day safeguard Earth from a hazardous asteroid. EMXYS played an essential role in the equipment on the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, whose objective is to investigate the possibility of redirecting potentially dangerous space rocks.

The Hera mission, spanning two years, has now reached a pair of asteroids, with the smaller one, Dimorphos, being deliberately impacted by a NASA spacecraft in 2022. This collision was part of a crucial test to determine whether humans could alter the path of an asteroid. The impact successfully changed the asteroid's orbit, demonstrating the potential of deliberately crashing a spacecraft into a space rock to modify its trajectory.

EMXYS has contributed to creating a highly sensitive piece of equipment that will be deployed to the asteroid's surface. This device will measure the minimal gravitational force exerted on Dimorphos, providing valuable insights into the asteroid's composition and the aftermath of NASA's collision. The data collected can prove crucial if a threatening asteroid ever needs to be redirected away from Earth.

By studying Dimorphos following the intentional impact, scientists can gather more information about how the asteroid responded, which could offer valuable lessons for future attempts to change the path of a potentially dangerous object.

Despite the mission's immense distance, the technology developed in Elche is now millions of kilometres away, assisting scientists in answering one of humanity's most significant questions: how can we protect our planet if a dangerous asteroid ever threatens our existence? For Elche, the Hera mission serves as a remarkable example of locally developed technology contributing to an international space project with global significance.