AIM’s eye view of asteroids

A simulation of the view ESA’s Asteroid Impact Mission will see as it closes in on its targeted double asteroid system to put down a microlander on the smaller of the two bodies. A representative camera mounted on a robotic arm was moved relative to an actual rotating model of the Didymos binary asteroid system. This ‘in-the-loop’ testing was performed at its ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, by the Agency’s Guidance, Navigation and Control section in conjunction with its Automation an