ASIM AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

In collaboration with NASA, Terma has obtained excellent images of ASIM on the International Space Station (ISS). ASIM is mounted on the European Columbus module, but astronauts cannot immediately see ASIM from inside ISS, and therefore, they cannot take images with their cameras inside the space station.

Terma checked some pictures taken by the Japanese transfer vehicle HTV at a time when there were no astronauts on spacewalks. ASIM was not in these images. System Engineer Dan Bhanderi contacted Terma's collaboration partners at NASA and asked about the origin of these photos, resulting in NASA turning the remote-controlled camera directly towards ASIM and taking four excellent images of ASIM mounted on the space station.

Four excellent images of ASIM (courtesy of NASA)

ASIM has been in space for more than 200 days after its launch in April 2018. Since 13 June 2018, ASIM has been in normal operation after a two-month commissioning.

Terma is the prime contractor of ASIM on a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). Terma has headed the European industrial consortium, which has developed ASIM and, in collaboration with ESA, coordinated launch and installation on the ISS by aid of the robotic arm with NASA and SpaceX.

ASIM is managed from the Belgian ground station at B.USOC in Brussels. DTU Space is responsible for the ASIM Science Data Center and handles the scientific management and coordination in collaboration with the universities in Bergen and Valencia.

ASIM continuously transmits observations from the two scientific main instruments down to Earth, where ASIM Science Data Center processes the scientific data.

Images appear courtesy of NASA