The European Space Agency (ESA) is extending an unprecedented invitation to European researchers and companies: the chance to run cutting-edge software directly in the harsh environment of deep space aboard ESA’s Hera mission. This unique opportunity, millions of kilometers from Earth, marks a significant step in fostering onboard intelligence and autonomy for future space exploration.
A New Mission for Hera: From Planetary Defense to Software Innovation
Originally tasked with crucial planetary defense objectives, ESA’s Hera mission is set to transition into a novel role following the completion of its primary goals around the Didymos and Dimorphos asteroids in mid-2027. At an astonishing distance of 150 million kilometers from Earth, Hera will transform into a sophisticated, flying software laboratory. This exceptional vantage point will provide European innovators with a real-world, in-flight platform to test and validate next-generation approaches in onboard intelligence, advanced image processing, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven operations and autonomy.
The initiative aims to accelerate European technological development and solidify the continent’s leadership in sophisticated space systems. By opening its mission infrastructure, ESA is not only supporting its own technological roadmap but also empowering a new generation of space-focused enterprises and research institutions.
Pushing the Boundaries of Onboard Intelligence
Dietmar Pilz, ESA’s Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, highlighted the significance of this endeavor. "This is an exceptional opportunity that will help accelerate European innovation, enabling researchers and industry to push the boundaries of onboard intelligence and autonomy," Pilz stated. "We invite Europe’s innovators to shape the next generation of intelligent, robust, and autonomous space missions."
The call is specifically for targeted, innovative experiments that aim to transcend the current limitations of procedural onboard intelligence. These experiments must operate safely within a protected "sandbox" environment, running alongside Hera’s critical flight systems. "We are looking for targeted, innovative experiments that push onboard intelligence beyond today’s procedural boundaries, while running safely alongside Hera’s flight-critical systems in a protected ‘sandbox’ environment," Pilz elaborated. "These ideas will help ESA mature technologies that reduce reliance on ground control, increase mission resilience, and enable more capable future exploration missions."
The Hera Mission: A Timeline of Innovation
The Hera mission itself represents a significant milestone in planetary defense. Launched in 2024, Hera is currently en route to its target celestial bodies, the binary asteroid system Didymos and its moonlet Dimorphos. This system is of particular scientific interest as Dimorphos is the first object in the solar system whose orbit has been demonstrably altered by human intervention. In 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft successfully impacted Dimorphos, demonstrating a kinetic impactor’s capability to change an asteroid’s trajectory.
Upon its arrival in autumn 2026, Hera will conduct a detailed, close-up investigation of the impact site on Dimorphos. This investigation will gather critical data on the asteroid’s composition, structure, and its response to the DART impact. The findings are expected to resolve key scientific questions central to the field of planetary defense, refining our understanding of asteroid deflection techniques and the potential risks posed by near-Earth objects.
However, Hera’s scientific mission is only part of its legacy. By the time its primary asteroid investigation phase concludes in mid-2027, the spacecraft will still possess substantial operational capabilities and a unique position in space.
A Legacy of Technology Demonstration
ESA has a well-established history of leveraging its space missions for in-orbit technology demonstration. The Proba (Project for On-Board Autonomy) series of satellites, including the current formation-flying Proba-3 mission, and the planned Henon CubeSat for deep space exploration, exemplify this commitment. These missions serve as vital platforms for testing new technologies in the challenging space environment, mitigating risks for future, more ambitious programs, and accelerating the transition of innovations from laboratory concepts to operational space systems.
A notable precursor to the Hera initiative was ESA’s OPS-SAT CubeSat. This flying laboratory provided a unique opportunity for software developers to test standard software in space, famously including a port of the classic video game Doom. Hera aims to build upon this spirit of open innovation, but with a significantly greater scope and a more profound impact on the future of spacecraft autonomy.
The "Sandbox" Environment: Ensuring Safety and Reliability
The technical implementation of this ambitious software laboratory concept hinges on ensuring the absolute safety and integrity of the Hera mission. Jorge Lopez Trescastro, ESA’s Hera software engineer, detailed the robust safeguards in place. "Our priority is to perform these experiments in an entirely safe way, so we are taking advantage of the fact that Hera’s onboard computer runs on a European-developed dual-core LEON3 processor," Trescastro explained.
The system is designed with a dual-core architecture, where one core is dedicated to the mission’s flight-critical operations, ensuring the spacecraft’s stability and navigation. The second core is configured as a secure, isolated "sandbox" environment, meticulously optimized to host and execute guest software. "One core will operate the actual spacecraft, while the other has a safe sandbox environment that has been optimised to host guest software," Trescastro elaborated.
While access to spacecraft instruments and subsystems will be facilitated for the experimental software, strict limitations are enforced. Each hosted software application will run for a limited duration, typically two to three hours at a time. Crucially, any identified anomaly or potential problem will result in the immediate shutdown of the experimental software. "Access to spacecraft instruments and subsystems will be fully facilitated, while the hosted software will only run for two to three hours at a time, and be shut off immediately if any problems are identified," Trescastro added. "Setting all this up to execute in a safe and reliable way has been really challenging, but now we are ready, and really excited to see what ideas the community brings forward!"
A Clear Call for Visionary Ideas
The call for proposals is now officially open, inviting European innovators to submit their groundbreaking software experiment concepts. Submissions must be made through ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP), a dedicated portal designed to streamline the submission and evaluation of novel space-related ideas.
Interested parties are required to submit an initial outline of their proposed experiment via the OSIP platform. These proposals will undergo an initial evaluation by ESA. The deadline for submitting these initial outlines is set for mid-October 2026.
Following the initial review, ESA will select the most promising and innovative ideas. The teams behind the selected proposals will then be invited to submit a comprehensive implementation package, including their source code, for detailed validation and testing. The deadline for submitting these full implementation packages is 31 May 2027. The planned operational period for these selected software experiments is a one-month window during August 2027, during which they will be executed in the deep space environment aboard Hera.
Redefining Spacecraft Operations for the Future
The implications of this initiative extend far beyond the immediate testing of new software. Ian Carnelli, Hera mission manager, emphasized the transformative potential of this approach. "Usually, we operate precious deep-space missions based on carefully validated procedures and frequent ground control oversight. But in this case, we are inviting European innovators to work in a real mission environment to help redefine how spacecraft might think, decide and operate in the future," Carnelli remarked.
"The goal is not to hand over control of Hera, but to safely test ideas that could light the way towards more capable, more autonomous, and more resilient spacecraft operations," he added. This philosophy underscores a shift towards enabling spacecraft with greater decision-making capabilities, reducing the reliance on constant communication with ground control, which can be subject to significant time delays in deep space.
The development of advanced onboard intelligence and autonomy is crucial for enabling more ambitious and complex space missions, including those to the outer solar system, asteroid exploration, and the search for extraterrestrial life. By fostering innovation in this area, ESA is actively shaping the future of space exploration, making missions more efficient, more robust, and ultimately, more successful. This program represents a tangible investment in Europe’s capacity to lead in the next era of space endeavors.
