Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission launched on October 7, 2024, at 10:52 a.m. EDT (1452 GMT) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Hera is set to study the binary asteroid system Didymos and its smaller companion Dimorphos, following up on NASA's DART mission that impacted Dimorphos in 2022 to test planetary defence strategies.
Approximately 1 hour and 16 minutes after launch, Hera separated from the Falcon 9's upper stage and confirmed signal acquisition, marking the spacecraft's successful entry into its mission.
Unlike other Falcon 9 launches, the first stage of the rocket was not recovered due to the need for full fuel usage to propel Hera on its asteroid mission.
The spacecraft will travel millions of miles, with a planned gravity assist at Mars in 2025, and is expected to reach Dimorphos in late 2026 to assess the effects of the DART impact.
Credit : SpaceX/ESA
Accompanying Hera are two smaller cubesats, named Milani and Juventas, which will analyse Dimorphos' surface minerals, structure, and gravity to refine scientific models of the asteroid.
Credit : ESA
Hera's key objective is to measure the crater created by DART on Dimorphos, assess any changes to the moon’s orbit and shape, and compare the data with early simulations.
Credit : ESA
ESA's Director General, Josef Aschbacher, emphasized the importance of Hera in advancing Europe’s role in planetary defence, recognizing the international effort needed to protect Earth from potential asteroid threats.