The flight model of the DESTINY+ Dust Analyzer (DDA) arrived in Japan after a journey of just under a week and was handed over to the Japanese space agency JAXA on May 28, 2026. This marks an important milestone for the international instrument project under the supervision of Ralf Srama and led by Heiko Strack of the Institute of Space Systems (IRS) at the University of Stuttgart on the path to the DESTINY+ mission.
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The DDA is a state-of-the-art dust telescope designed for the direct analysis of cosmic dust particles in space. It determines the velocity, mass, direction of travel, electric charge, and chemical composition of individual particles. With nine measurement channels and a newly developed two-axis alignment system, the DDA is among the most complex dust instruments ever developed for space use.
Much More Than Just Dust
Cosmic dust consists of microscopic particles made of silicates, carbon compounds, and metals. “These particles are much more than just dust in space,” explains Ralf Srama, head of dust research at the IRS. “They are fundamental building blocks of the universe and play a central role in the formation of organic molecules, stars, and planets—and thus also in the conditions necessary for life.”
A key scientific goal of the DESTINY+ mission is the flyby of the active asteroid (3200) Phaethon in 2030. During this flyby, the DDA will analyze microparticles from the asteroid’s tail that are released by meteoroid impacts on the asteroid’s surface. Phaethon is also the parent body of the Geminids, a meteor stream that is regularly visible in the night sky in December as a shooting star shower.
However, the DDA will be activated shortly after the spacecraft’s launch, allowing continuous data collection on interplanetary and interstellar dust even while en route to Phaethon. The first scientific milestone for DESTINY+ is the flyby of the asteroid Apophis, which is only 350 meters in size. This near-Earth object will fly past Earth on April 13, 2029, at a distance of just 32,000 km. DESTINY+ will thus have the opportunity to study this small object even before the RAMSES spacecraft.
Seven Years of Development
In 2019, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) commissioned the University of Stuttgart to develop the dust instrument for the bilateral DESTINY+ mission of JAXA and DLR. Over seven years of development, manufacturing, qualification, and validation, the IRS team successfully overcame challenges related to mass requirements for the mechanical structure and the electrical and mechanical interfaces with the spacecraft.
A final functional test in the University of Stuttgart’s globally unique 2-MV dust accelerator in the spring of 2026 confirmed the instrument’s full operational capability under space conditions.
The Stuttgart Dust Group has decades of experience in the development and operation of scientific dust instruments. Among other things, it was responsible for the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on the Cassini–Huygens mission and contributed to LADEE, Europa Clipper, and BepiColombo.
International Collaboration
The DDA was developed in close collaboration with international partners from the scientific and industrial sectors. The electronics were developed by von Hoerner & Sulger GmbH, and quality assurance was handled by Space Works Innovations GmbH. Qualification tests on the flight model—including thermal-vacuum, vibration, and shock tests—were conducted at the DLR in Bremen. An international scientific team led by Harald Krüger from the MPS in Göttingen provided scientific guidance throughout the development process. Regular communication also takes place with Hiroshi Imamura (JAXA Mission Management) and Tomoko Arai from the Planetary Exploration Research Center (PERC) in Tokyo.
Next Steps Leading Up to the 2028 Launch
Following its arrival at JAXA, the ATLO phase (Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations) is now beginning. In the coming months, the instrument’s electronics will first be integrated into the spacecraft and extensively tested with its onboard electronics. This includes, among other things, command and control, telemetry, thermal testing, and the verification of all mechanical and electrical interfaces.
In parallel, flight software, operational concepts, and data processing and archiving are being prepared. The launch of the DESTINY+ mission is scheduled for spring 2028 using a JAXA H3 rocket.
