Engineered with a unique compound-eye-inspired design, Flyeye was developed by ESA and OHB Italia to monitor a sky area over 200 times the size of the full Moon in a single shot. This expansive field of view allows the telescope to operate autonomously, scanning the skies nightly for potentially hazardous objects without human intervention.
ESA plans to deploy up to four Flyeye telescopes worldwide, enhancing coverage in both hemispheres and minimizing the impact of weather on observations. "The earlier we spot potentially hazardous asteroids, the more time we have to assess them and, if necessary, prepare a response," noted Richard Moissl, Head of ESA's Planetary Defence Office.
"The Flyeye telescopes will act as an early-warning system, with discoveries shared across the global planetary defence network," Moissl added.
Roberto Aceti, Managing Director at OHB Italia, highlighted the telescope's optical system, which includes a one-metre primary mirror. Light captured is split into 16 channels, each with its own camera, enabling the detection of faint objects across the vast sky.
Observation schedules for Flyeye will be dynamically adjusted to account for factors such as lunar brightness and complementary efforts from other survey telescopes, including NASA's ATLAS, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and the forthcoming Vera Rubin Telescope.
The Flyeye captured its first images at the Italian Space Agency's Space Geodesy Centre in Matera. These images validate its readiness for deployment. The telescope will soon relocate to its permanent site at Monte Mufara in Sicily, where it will officially begin contributing to the international planetary defense network.
Related Links
Flyeye telescope
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology
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