Hera's instruments on its top 'asteroid deck'

ESA's Hera asteroid mission for planetary defence has its instruments hosted on its top 'asteroid deck'. Facing forward is Hera's main 1.13 m High Gain Antenna, also being employed for radio science. On both corners above it are two pairs of orbit control thrusters and projecting out in between them is the Low Gain Antenna.

Up on the asteroid deck on the lower right side can be seen the SMC, Spacecraft Monitoring Camera, which will be used in particular to observe the deployment of Hera's two CubeSats. In the centre of the asteroid deck stands the cylinder-shaped PALT, or Planetary Altimeter, which will perform laser range finding for navigation and science. To the left and right of the PALT are the two rectangular-shaped Deep Space Deployers, carrying the Milani CubeSat (on the left) and Juventas CubeSat (on the right) respectively. Directly above Milani on the left stands the HyperScout H hyperspectral imager. The cylinders projecting up at an angle to the left and right are Hera's startrackers, while the two circular cameras form the Asteroid Framing Camera for main navigation and science observations. In between them is the TIRI, Thermal Infrared, instrument provided by JAXA.