Redwire Enabling ESA’s First Planetary Defense Mission with Cutting-Edge Onboard Computer System
October 2, 2024 | BUSINESS WIREEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Redwire Corporation, a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, announced today that it is providing a critical onboard computer system for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera mission, Europe’s inaugural flagship planetary defense mission. Hera is the European-led companion mission to NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which successfully impacted the binary asteroid system Didymos in September 2022 with Redwire power and navigation technology onboard. The Hera mission will provide a detailed survey of DART’s impact site.
Hera’s onboard computer was developed by Redwire’s wholly owned Belgian subsidiary, Redwire Space NV, through a contract with OHB Germany, the main industrial contractor for the mission. The onboard computer, Redwire’s third generation Advanced Data and Power Management System (ADPMS-3), is designed to monitor and control other spacecraft components, including transmitting critical data to operators on the ground. Developed to meet the challenges of operating in deep space, ADPMS-3 will control all vital spacecraft operations, including power and navigation, and play a crucial role in major mission milestones such as the deployment and monitoring of ESA’s two deep-space CubeSats and the spacecraft’s final orbital insertion at Didymos.
“Redwire’s third generation onboard computer, leveraging more than 25 years of flight heritage and avionics expertise, has become critical, enabling technology for today’s most ambitious missions,” said Erik Masure, President of Redwire Space Europe. “We are proud to partner with ESA for the game-changing Hera mission to advance humanity’s planetary defense capabilities and the scientific understanding of asteroids.”
The Hera mission is an exciting mission contributing to Redwire’s growing portfolio of space solutions that advance scientific discovery and planetary defense efforts. Redwire provided digital sun sensors and Roll-Out Solar Array technology for NASA’s DART mission. Redwire is also providing the onboard computer for ESA’s Comet Interceptor mission, the first spacecraft to visit a long-period comet. Redwire’s ADPMS leverages 25 years of spaceflight heritage, previously supporting ESA’s Proba-2, Proba-V, and Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle missions.
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Latent AI, Wind River Collaborate to Advance Edge AI for Mission-Critical Systems
09/12/2025 | BUSINESS WIRELatent AI, a leader in edge AI solutions, and Wind River, an Aptiv company and global leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge, announced a strategic cooperation to accelerate edge AI maturity to bring artificial intelligence capabilities to the real-time edge platforms that power mission-critical infrastructure across industries.
Zhen Ding Technology Highlights AI-Driven Transformation of the PCB Industry at SEMICON Taiwan 2025
09/11/2025 | Zhen Ding TechnologyArtificial intelligence (AI) is expanding rapidly, with almost no field left untouched by the wave of computing power-driven transformation.
Polar Instruments Announces Additive Transmission Line Support for Si9000e
08/20/2025 | Polar InstrumentsTransmission lines embedded into the PCB surface are a feature of UHDI constructions. The 2025 fall release of Polar's Si9000e PCB impedance & insertion loss transmission line field solver incorporates eight new single ended, differential and coplanar transmission line structures.
American Made Advocacy: Where’s the Budget for a Modern Military Run on Microelectronics?
08/19/2025 | Shane Whiteside -- Column: American Made AdvocacyIn a world of peer threats and urgent transformation, having secure, trusted, and reliable microelectronics is non-negotiable. While largely hidden, microelectronics are the ubiquitous enablers of modern defense platforms. Nothing in the current American arsenal flies, floats, or fights without a technology stack that includes a semiconductor, an integrated circuit substrate, and a printed circuit board.
Cicor Closes Strategic Partnership with Mercury and Strengthens Market Leadership in the European Defense Sector
06/03/2025 | CicorCicor Group announces today the successful completion of the strategic supply partnership with Mercury Mission Systems International S.A. (Mercury) announced in April.