The European Space Agency's Hera mission has successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aiming to investigate the aftermath of a human-altered asteroid's orbit. Hera is set to reach the binary asteroid system Didymos in autumn 2026.
Mission director Ian Carnelli expressed excitement, stating, "Today we write a new page in space history." Following a brief weather delay, Hera is now on a direct trajectory away from Earth, beginning a two-year cruise phase.
Next month, Hera will perform a gravity assist maneuver near Mars, scheduled for March 2025, which will also include a scientific survey of the Martian moon Deimos. The mission will focus on Dimorphos, a 150-meter asteroid that was impacted by NASA's DART spacecraft in September 2022, altering its orbit by approximately 30 minutes.
Hera, part of the AIDA collaboration with NASA, aims to gather crucial data to enhance models for asteroid deflection technology. This mission involves contributions from around 100 European companies and institutes, as well as Japan's JAXA.
Key questions remain about the impact's effects on Dimorphos, such as whether a crater was formed or if the asteroid was globally deformed. Preliminary data suggests the latter, indicating a more significant impact than previously thought. Hera, equipped with 12 scientific instruments, will spend six months studying the asteroid system.
Asteroids are remnants from the early Solar System, with millions traveling through space, some posing potential threats to Earth.