The Asteroid Spectral Imager (ASPECT) on the Milani CubeSat

Abstract Flying on board the Milani CubeSat, The Asteroid Spectral Imager ASPECT is a hyperspectral camera which will measure the spectral characteristics of the Didymos asteroids. This paper describes science objectives of the mission, the operational principle of the camera and primary results of the test campaign. The ASPECT camera operates mainly in the near infrared wavelengths, covering the wavelength range of 650–1600 nm. In addition to the camera, there is a single point spectrometer covering the range of 1650–2500 nm. The instrument was qualified to the Hera environmental specification and the optical properties were cross-calibrated with other optical payloads on the Hera mission.