APEX CubeSat

The Asteroid Prospection Explorer (or ‘APEX’) CubeSat to accompany the Hera mission to the Didymos binary asteroid system is equipped with a spectral imager, magnetometer, secondary ion mass analyser, optical navigation camera, laser ranging sensor and three-axis inertial measurement unit. It will perform detailed spectral measurements of both asteroids’ surfaces – measuring the sunlight reflected by Didymos and breaking down its various colours to discover how these asteroids have interacted with the space environment, pinpointing any differences in composition between the two. In addition, APEX will make magnetic readings that will give insight into their interior structure of these bodies.

APEX has been developed by a Swedish/Finnish/Czech/German consortium including the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, V-kvadrat AB, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and OHB Sweden, Reaktor Space Lab, Aalto University, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, University of Helsinki, Space Systems Czech and DLR in Bremen.