HENON: Mission Analysis for Deep Space Operations

The HENON (Heliospheric pioneer for solar and interplanetary threats defence) mission is a 12U CubeSat dedicated to Space Weather monitoring in a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) more than 12 million km from Earth.
The mission was conducted by a consortium led by Argotec under an ESA GSTP contract with ASI support.

SpaceDyS Contribution

SpaceDyS was responsible for:

• Mission analysis
• Trajectory optimization
• Orbital design in complex multi-body dynamics

The selected Distant Retrograde Orbit enables extended coverage of the heliospheric environment and supports real-time monitoring of energetic particle radiation in deep space.

This project demonstrates SpaceDyS expertise in interplanetary navigation and advanced trajectory design in challenging dynamical environments.

The launch services contract has been signed by ESA and launch is planned for early 2027. It is ESA’s first stand-alone deep-space CubeSat and it will fly aboard Ariane 6, alongside the Plato mission.