Cape Canaveral, Florida – The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thanks to approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), marking a major milestone for planetary security. Destined to visit the Didymos asteroid system, the mission’s goal is to investigate the fallout from NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) experiment.
The Didymos asteroid system’s moonlet Dimorphos was successfully struck by the DART mission, which was launched in November 2021. The objective was to determine whether an impact with kinetic energy could change the asteroid’s orbit—a method that might be utilized to divert an asteroid that would pose a threat to Earth’s orbit. Hera’s mission will offer a more thorough examination of the impact site and its effects, even if DART’s main goal was accomplished.
A variety of instruments will be installed on the Hera spacecraft to assess the mass and density of the asteroid, examine any debris ejected after the crash, and investigate the crater left by DART’s impact. With the use of this data, scientists will be able to better comprehend planetary defence tactics and improve their models of asteroid movements.
The FAA approved the Hera mission following a comprehensive evaluation of SpaceX’s safety protocols and the performance of the launch vehicle. Although the agency had already grounded the Falcon 9 rocket due to an anomaly during an earlier launch, it concluded that the unique conditions of the Hera mission—such as the intended trajectory and the lack of a second-stage reentry—reduced the risks related to the earlier incident.
No sooner than October 7, 2024, is when the Hera mission is expected to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. If the mission is successful, the spacecraft will travel to the Didymos asteroid system over four years. Hera will investigate the impact site and gather information upon arrival to aid in the evaluation of the DART experiment’s efficacy and the creation of more resilient planetary defence plans. This process will take several months.
Our capacity to defend Earth from prospective asteroidal dangers has advanced significantly thanks to the Hera mission. Through a thorough analysis of the DART impact, scientists will be able to build the instruments and strategies required to protect Earth and learn important lessons about the viability of deflecting asteroids.