05.04.2026
The crew of the Orion spacecraft has taken new images of the Moon, including the Orientale Basin region. It is the first time human eyes have seen this entire area, NASA said. The four-member Artemis II crew will be the first to fly around the Moon since 1972. The scientific mission also includes chips for measuring cosmic radiation supplied by the Prague-based company Advacam. “They are essentially radiation cameras,” explains company co-founder and physicist Jan Jakůbek. Six chips form the core of the HERA system.
What is it used for?
The system is designed to monitor what is known as space weather. In reality, it is ionizing radiation composed of many different components. Some are less dangerous, others more so. It is very important to distinguish between the amounts of each component and correctly determine the level of danger for astronauts and onboard electronic systems.
Why the name HERA, what does it mean?
That’s a good question, to be honest I don’t know. It’s a name given by NASA to their solution. We originally started by supplying our own system, and NASA, because it needed to integrate it into its own systems, placed it into its own electronic unit and named it HERA. Cosmic radiation can have a major impact not only on crew health but also on the functioning of sensitive electronics. If I understand correctly, your TIMEPIX technology is unique.
How was cosmic radiation detected before?
To explain it simply, our detectors are essentially cameras, and each particle leaves a trace in the camera. Based on the shape and intensity of that trace, we can determine what type of particle it is, where it came from, and how dangerous it might be for both electronics and the crew. Previously used detectors did not have the ability to distinguish individual components so clearly, and therefore could not accurately determine their level of danger.
We are also able to determine the direction from which the radiation is coming and provide signals on how the crew and the spacecraft itself should respond. For example, the spacecraft can turn its engines forward to shield part of the radiation that would be dangerous.
How detailed is your dosimetric data, and what is it used for or could it be used for?
In fact, the data is so detailed that NASA does not yet fully utilize its full range.
So far, our detectors have been used with NASA and the European Space Agency only in Earth orbit, and we have not yet gone beyond the protective shield of Earth’s magnetic field.
So this is the first time we will determine the composition of space weather, that is, radiation outside Earth and near the Moon.
This is far from your first collaboration with NASA. How did your company become a certified supplier of this technology? It is said the cooperation started by chance.
There is a story behind it that goes back more than 15 years. Together with Professor Pospíšil, we met Professor Lawrence Pinsky from Houston in Pisa, where we showed him our technology, which he really liked.
We lent him one detector, and he showed it to several astronauts on another mission to the ISS. One of them packed the detector into his personal luggage, in a similar way to how the famous toy mole made it into orbit. He took the detector, connected it to a computer there, and recorded the composition of space weather. Everyone liked it very much, so they said they wanted such technology there as well. The interesting part is that to become such a supplier, you normally have to go through quite demanding tests.
A way to bypass them is to demonstrate that the detector has already been in orbit. And thanks to that astronaut taking it along in his personal luggage, we were able to show that it had already been there, so we did not need to go through all those demanding procedures, which we then completed afterward anyway.
Do you have any information on how the system is performing during the current flight?
Unfortunately, we do not receive direct information. NASA is quite reserved in this regard and only publishes results after the mission.
Only once they are sure everything worked properly. So we have no information during the mission, but since we already have dozens of these detectors in space and all of them have worked without a single failure, we have no reason to worry about any problems.
The HERA system is also expected to be used during the planned Moon landing. If Trump pushes through a 25% cut to NASA’s budget, would that delay or directly threaten the Artemis II project?
Very likely yes. Unfortunately, we have rather negative experience with this. We have supplied detectors to NASA several times, and due to uncertain or undefined budgets in the United States, especially after changes in administration, we have faced various administrative difficulties such as communication issues or delayed payments. So the political situation has a significant impact on this area as well.
