High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites, Scientific Pathfinder

Project Information

HERMES-SP

Grant agreement ID: 821896

DOI

10.3030/821896

Project closed

EC signature date 24 October 2018

Start date 1 November 2018

End date 31 October 2022

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Space

Total cost

€ 3 434 050,00

EU contribution

€ 3 318 550,00

Coordinated by

ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI ASTROFISICA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HERMES-SP (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites, Scientific Pathfinder)

Reporting period: 2021-11-01 to 2022-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

HERMES-SP is a Space project based on a constellation of nano-sats in LEO. Each nano-sat will be equipped with a new miniaturized payload to detect and localize bright Cosmic high-energy transients such as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) and the electromagnetic counterparts of Gravitational Wave (GW) events. Figure 1 illustrates the HERMES-SP concept.

GW170817 event marked the beginning of the multi-messenger revolution in astrophysics. The nearly simultaneous detection of GWs from merging Neutron Stars (NS) by the LIGO/Virgo and of a short GRBs by Fermi and INTEGRAL, proved that short GRBs are due to merging NSs, as hypothesized since about thirty years. Quick localization of GW-GRB event produced quick discovery of the first kilonova event by ground and space-based instrumentation. The kilonowa, being powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta, provided breakthrough advance in our understanding of the synthesis of rare heavy elements.

The combined LIGO/Virgo – Fermi/INTEGRAL error-box was about 30deg2. The LIGO/Virgo detection indicated a very close event, ~40 Mpc, greatly limiting the volume, and therefore the number of target galaxies. An optical transient from one of these galaxies was soon discovered. For fainter events, further away, such those that will likely be provided by LIGO/Virgo in O3, O4 and O5, the volume to be searched will be ~30 times larger. This will imply >hundreds optical transients, making difficult the prompt identification of the right one for further follow-up. Fortunately, the number of X-ray transients in the same volume is much more limited (from zero to a few), making much more efficient the search for the electromagnetic counterparts of GW events in this energy band. The operation of an efficient X-ray all-sky monitor with good localization capability will thus have a pivotal role in the next decade multi-messenger astrophysics.

HERMES-SP is based on a twin project founded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI, HERMES-Technological Pathfinder). HERMES-SP is an “In Orbit Demonstrator”. Its main goal is to demonstrate that GRB detection and localization is feasible with miniaturized payloads/spacecrafts at a cost 1-2 order of magnitude lower than that of standard space projects and with a development time of a just a few years.

HERMES-SP objectives are:

OB1: develop miniaturized X-ray detectors to catch signals from X-ray transients preserving the sensitivity required for breakthrough science

OB2: provide scientifically useful data thanks to its capability to localise GRBs better or comparable with that of the Fermi GBM. Transients’ variability down to 1ms from a few keV to a few MeV will be available to scientists for further investigation

OB3: demonstrate the COTS applicability to challenging space missions: HERMES-SP will assess and apply a production life cycle aimed at increasing the COTS reliability still limiting the time to space and cost.

OB4: contribute to the Space 4.0 goals: HERMES-SP will contribute to identify and standardize new and innovative approaches to manufacture, assemble and test miniaturized components.

OB5: enlarge and strengthen the space distributed architectures and mega-constellations applicability and reliability: to gain the required precision in GRB localization requires a sensors distribution covering the full sky

OB6: prepare for a proposal to the European Space Agency (as well as to National Agencies) for the realization of a real observatory based on distributed instrumentation during the 2020’, the HERMES Full Constellation

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The first year:
- finalization of the mission design, the mission requirements, the payload requirements and the system requirements
- finalization of the mission analysis of the full constellation (HERMES-TP-SP, six satellites)
- validatation of the design of the P/L and S/M developed under ASI lead
- development and tests of breadboards of subsystems

Massive simulations were carried out and analyzed to assess both P/L and S/M performances.

The following 6 months were dedicated to the development of the P/L Demonstration Model (DM) and S/M Engineering Model (EM).

P/L DM is aimed at:
• test production processes of elements and subsystems;
• test integration procedures;
• perform complete functional tests on a representative system;
• perform environmental tests at qualification level for characterization.

The S/M EM is aimed at testing custom software on OBDH and ADCS SM subsystems.

During the second year of the project the Covid19 pandemic has broken out. The sanitary emergency consequence of the pandemic has produced a big impact on the project, mainly delaying activities concerning the flight segment (FS). A 12 month extension of the project has been approved to mitigate the impact of the sanitary emergency.

Second year:
- preparation and completion of the Critical Design Review of both FS and GS. The P/L DM had been integrated and tested. Both functional and environmental tests have been executed in the second half of 2020 to support the CDR.

Third year:
- procurement activities for the FS
- preliminary activities in view of the MAIT of the PFM
- on board software development and test
- consolidation of the design of the ground segment and start of the integration activities.
- P/L DM has been further developed to support further functional and environmental tests.

Forth year:
- integration and test of the flight segment, both P/L and S/M. Three P/L FM (PFM, FM2, FM3) where integrated, tested and calibrated. Most S/M subsystems where tested and are ready for final integration into the spacecrafts.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

As of today, the missions dedicated to X-ray and Gamma-ray transients are NASA SWIFT and Fermi, ESA INTEGRAL, and ASI Agile observatories. All these observatories are working nominally after more than 15, 17, 12 and 13 years after launch. Their predicted lifetime would extend the missions through the 2020’, but equipment is aging and it is not known how long they will keep full functionalities. Missions aimed at localizing high energy transients were and will be proposed to NASA (Midex class) and ESA (M class). HERMES offers a fast track and less expensive complement for bright events to such more complex and ambitious mission.

HERMES-SP has developed P/L, S/M and subsystems that, while maintaining flexibility and re-configurability, are high-performing, so to achieve its ambitious scientific goals: demonstrate in space that accurate localization of GRBs are feasible with miniaturized instrumentation hosted by nano-sats. This experiment will quantitatively show that a full constellation (~tens/hundred units) has the capability to provide breakthrough observations: arcmin transient localizations.

According to results of the EU FP7-SPACE-2012 NANOSAT project there are significant obstacles that are hindering nano-satellites development in Europe:
• Lack of awareness about nano-satellites capabilities
• Lack of coordination
• Incomplete understanding of potential markets
• Fragmented overview of best practices

The HERMES-SP project has shown that these shortcomings/problems can be overcome, thereby complying with the EU guidelines.

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