Redwire Corporation, a leader in space infrastructure for the next-generation space economy, announced that it has successfully delivered the onboard computer for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Comet Interceptor mission. Redwire developed and delivered the onboard computer through a contract with OHB Italia S.p.A. (OHB Italy). ESA’s Comet Interceptor will be the first spacecraft to visit a comet coming directly from the outer reaches of the Sun, carrying material untouched since the dawn of the Solar System.
Redwire’s wholly owned Belgian subsidiary, Redwire Space NV, developed the onboard computer, which is the “brain” of Comet Interceptor. It is designed to monitor and control other spacecraft components, including transmitting critical data to operators on the ground. The onboard computer is part of Redwire’s third-generation Advanced Data and Power Management System (ADPMS-3).
“We are proud to have accomplished this exciting milestone alongside our partners OHB Italy and ESA, which brings the first-of-its-kind Comet Interceptor mission one step closer to launch,” said Mike Gold, Redwire President of Civil and International Space Business. “With 25 years of flight heritage, a strong track record of success, and the Redwire team’s unparalleled avionics expertise, Redwire’s ADPMS-3 is a critical, enabling technology for today’s most ambitious European and multinational space missions.”
The recent delivery follows an acceptance testing campaign, which included vibration, thermal vacuum, and electromagnetic compatibility testing. The onboard computer is currently at OHB Italia headquarters, where it will undergo integration and final acceptance review. Comet Interceptor is scheduled to launch in 2029. The onboard computer is also supporting ESA’s Hera mission, Europe’s first planetary defense mission, and part of a multinational planetary defense effort supporting ESA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission.
Redwire’s European facility in Belgium has more than 40 years of spaceflight heritage, developing spacecraft platforms and successfully delivering innovative technology for game-changing ESA programs. Redwire was the prime contractor for ESA’s Proba-1, Proba-2, and Proba-V missions, which have a combined flight time of 50 years without failure. Redwire continues to support other ESA programs, including Skimsat, a technology demonstrator for a small satellite platform designed to operate in very low Earth orbit; the International Berthing and Docking Mechanism for the lunar Gateway; and the Proba-3 mission, the first precision formation flying mission that will investigate the Sun’s corona.
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