Sector: Space Weather
Number of satellites: 1
Form factor: 12U-XL
HENON (HEliospheric pioNeer for sOlar and interplanetary threats defeNce) is a CubeSat mission dedicated to the study and monitoring of Space Weather from deep space. The mission will operate in a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) in the Sun-Earth system, an orbit never previously used by a space mission. This particular orbit will allow the satellite, when located between the Sun and the Earth, to perform in-situ measurements of the solar wind and the interplanetary environment at a large distance from the Earth, increasing the time available to detect the arrival of disturbances directed towards our planet. Under these conditions, HENON will demonstrate the possibility of providing approximately 3–6 hours of advance warning of incoming solar storms.
The satellite will be equipped with three instruments dedicated to the measurement of energetic particles, the solar wind, and the interplanetary magnetic field. The collected data will contribute both to the study of heliospheric phenomena and to the development of Space Weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities. HENON will also have an important technological role: the satellite will autonomously reach the DRO using an electric propulsion system and will demonstrate the use of CubeSat technologies for deep-space operations. The mission is developed within ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP), with the support of the Italian Space Agency through the ALCOR programme.
Development team: Argotec S.r.l. (Prime); INAF-IAPS (Principal Investigator); Università della Calabria; Università degli Studi di Firenze; SpaceDyS S.r.l.; IMT S.r.l.; Nautilus - Navigation in Space S.r.l.; University of Turku (FI); Aboa Space Research Oy (FI); Imperial College London (GB); Charles University (CZ); Mars Space Ltd (GB); Techline Systems Ltd. (GB); AVS Added Value Solutions UK Ltd (GB).
Development status: Phase D (manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing) ongoing; launch planned for Q2 2027.
Figure: Infographics on the Space Weather effects on human life by ESA ESA/Science Office, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
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