After arrival, the CubeSat will use an electric propulsion system to achieve a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) around the Sun, an elliptical trajectory first conceptualized by Michel Henon in 1969. This mission marks the first deployment of a spacecraft in this specific orbit, bringing the CubeSat as close as 12 million kilometers and as far as 24 million kilometers from Earth, with its path appearing as an elongated ellipse relative to Earth due to both objects' solar orbits.
Supported by ESA's General Support Technology Programme, the Henon mission will test compact instrument technologies designed to detect approaching solar storms. Its sunward position allows it to provide solar storm alerts three to six hours before the storms reach Earth - an advancement over the current 15-60-minute warning window from Lagrange point 1 spacecraft.
Roger stated, "The mission will leverage its unique proximity to the Sun on the sunward side of the DRO to demonstrate miniaturised-instrument technologies that can confirm the impending arrival of solar storms well before they reach Earth, providing a warning up to 3-6 hours in advance. This is a considerable improvement compared to the current warning time provided by spacecraft located at Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1, which is about 15 to 60 minutes."
Juha-Pekka Luntama, Head of ESA's Space Weather Office, concluded, "Demonstrating this warning capability with Henon will open up a new pathway to develop a future constellation of small spacecraft that would operate in the DRO and keep a close watch on the progress of solar storms. This constellation would provide a continuous warning service for operators of critical infrastructure, like electrical power grids, on ground, giving us ten times more time to implement mitigation measures to prevent damage."
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