Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM)
The European Space Agency mission to the International Space Station
Creotech’s first space contract for the ESA
Aim: to study lightning discharges and luminous phenomena above storm clouds
Creotech’s role: production of qualification and flight models of the Polish aircraft
Above storm clouds, several dozen kilometres above the Earth, short-lived, spectacular discharges occur. Scientists call them blue jets, sprites or elves, and in the past they were even mistaken for signs of alien civilisations. They are difficult to observe from the Earth’s surface because they are obscured by clouds. They are also accompanied by gamma-ray bursts invisible to the naked eye. Understanding these phenomena helps us to gain a better insight into the processes taking place in the atmosphere and to refine climate models.
ASIM is the first space observatory equipped with a full suite of instruments for studying these phenomena. It has been installed on the exterior of the European Columbus module on the International Space Station. It consists of a set of cameras and photometers that record light phenomena, as well as an X-ray and gamma-ray detector. The project was carried out by an international consortium led by the Danish company Terma, with the participation of, amongst others, DTU Space, the Universities of Bergen and Valencia, OHB Italia and CBK PAN. Although the mission was originally planned to last two years, it was extended several times thanks to its outstanding scientific results.
ASIM was Creotech Instruments’ first space-based project commissioned by the ESA. As a subcontractor to the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CBK PAN), we produced the qualification and flight models of the Polish instrument, comprising over 30 electronic modules meeting stringent space-grade requirements. This experience paved the way for us to undertake further ESA missions.