The space cameras from our supplier 3D PLUS have been successfully used in several missions by NASA or other organizations in various space projects. In this overview, we would like to briefly introduce you to some of these projects and how the space cameras from 3D PLUS were used and under what conditions they operated.
The 4Mpx camera head from 3D PLUS is part of Perseverance's SuperCam instrument, which is the optoelectronic head of the Remote MicroImager sub-unit and provides imaging capabilities for ground monitoring and remote imaging.
The SuperCam Perseverance rover with the mini-helicopter “Ingenuity”, which is located in the belly of the rover, was sent to Mars on July 30, 2020 and successfully landed on February 18, 2021.
The 4Mpx camera head serves as a support for rock and soil detection, the alignment of the laser for the analysis of rocks, as well as the creation of panoramic images on Mars.
The picture shows an image taken by the Perseverance rover as the Ingenuity spacecraft takes off again for the first time after a long break for a short “hop”.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS
he 4Mpx camera head from 3D PLUS is the optoelectronic head of the Iris instrument on the EyeSat 3U nanosatellite.
The EyeSat is a student CubeSat and part of the JANUS program of the CNES. Since 2012, the CubeSat has been developed within the French space agency and more than 200 students have been involved in the project.
It was launched in LEO in 2019 and is used to study and analyze the zodiacal light within the solar system, as well as to create 360°-degree color images of the Milky Way.
The 4Mpx camera head from 3D PLUS is the optoelectronic head of the LEIA camera, which was used in 2022 to confirm the impact of the DART spacecraft on the asteroid Dimorphos.
The DART spacecraft was the very first mission to research and demonstrate a method for deflecting asteroids. The aim was to change the direction of the asteroid's movement in space using a kinetic impact.
This method was later considered a success after NASA analyzed the data, as the asteroid's trajectory could be changed by the impact.
The image shows the ejecta clouds emanating from Dimorphos after DART collided with it on September 26, 2022.
Credit: ASI/NASA/APL
The space cameras from 3D PLUS are part of ESA's future MSR program in collaboration with NASA, a concept for returning samples from Mars to Earth.
They offer the possibility of image display both for the Earth Return Orbiter (multi-camera monitoring system, in particular for monitoring sample collection on Mars) and for the robotic arm of the Sample Return Lander (Sample Transfer Arm, as an important camera for sample detection and collection).
The image shows ESA's 3D animation of the Sample Return Lander collecting and stowing samples from Mars.
Credit: ESA/NASA
If you would like general information about the space cameras and camera heads from our supplier 3D PLUS, please contact our team directly or arrange a callback.
If you require space cameras or camera heads from our supplier 3D PLUS for one of your projects or would like advice on the technology regarding certain specifications, we will be happy to offer you a solution in person.
