The Dust Analyser for DESTINY+ : Development Status and Performance

The DESTINY+ is a mission led by JAXA which will launch in 2028. Its main destination is the small body Phaethon, and a fast flyby two years after launch will allow for a sensitive detection of submicron ejecta from its surface in order to study its surface composition. The mission will also look for any surface activity. Furthermore, the interplanetary and interstellar dust background is continuously monitored by the Destiny Dust Analyser DDA with high sensitivity. The dust analyser has a sensitive area of 0.03 m2 and uses charge sensing grids and impact ionisation combined with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. A two-axis pointing platform allows for dust RAM tracking of different dust populations. The reflectron-based spectrometer has demonstrated a mass resolution greater than 100, recording positive ions from an individual particle impact. Organic molecule clusters can be analysed up to masses as high as 1000 amu. Sensitive charge sensing grids provide trajectory information even of submicron grains.

The Flight Unit of DDA was built and qualified. Functional tests at the Stuttgart dust accelerator facility demonstrate the performance of the instrument in mass resolution and dynamic range. The instrument has a mass of 12 kg and a power consumption of 25 W. The instrument is funded by the German Space Agency DLR, and it was developed at the University of Stuttgart with major contributions by the company von Hoerner & Sulger GmbH.