Europe advances asteroid defense as GomSpace secures operational support contract
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 27, 2025
GomSpace has entered into an 8.4 million SEK agreement with SPACEBEL to implement the Juventas Operations segment for the European Space Agency's Hera mission. The partnership will utilize HOOP Mission Control Center capabilities to enable autonomous management of the Juventas cubesat.

The contract runs until the second quarter of 2027 and involves advanced operational support for Juventas during the cruise and asteroid exploration phases, through mission completion. The HOOP solution integrates with the HERA Cubesat Mission Operation Center led by SPACEBEL at ESA's ESEC facility in Redu, Belgium.

The HERA-Juventas satellite and the Milani companion vehicle will begin surveying the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system from January to May 2027.

"The HERA mission represents a major step forward in Europe's planetary defence strategy and cost-efficient space exploration; it paves the way for future progress in this field. We are proud to contribute to the ground segment implementation by leveraging our HOOP product to support Hera's Juventas mission," said Carsten Drachmann, CEO at GomSpace.

Related Links
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