The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the Hera mission, a groundbreaking effort to study asteroids, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral on October 8, 2024, marking a critical milestone in space exploration.
Hera’s primary objective is to investigate the aftermath of NASA’s 2022 Double Asteroid Redirect Mission (DART), which purposefully crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos. This collision demonstrated a planetary defense technique to alter an asteroid’s trajectory. Now, Hera will closely examine the changes caused by DART, providing valuable insights into planetary defense strategies for future asteroid threats.
About 76 minutes after liftoff, Hera successfully separated from the rocket and made contact with ground control, signaling the beginning of its long journey toward Dimorphos. The spacecraft is expected to arrive in late 2026, where it will gather detailed data about the asteroid’s structure and surface.
The Hera mission is part of a larger effort to develop methods to protect Earth from potential asteroid impacts. Accompanying the probe are two smaller satellites, Milani and Juventas, which will help further explore Dimorphos’s properties.
This mission is a major step forward in planetary defense, with scientists hoping it will provide critical data for designing future asteroid deflection strategies(
CNA
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NewsBytes
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