ESA probe "Hera

ESA probe “Hera” on its way to double asteroids

(Bild: ESA/SpaceX)

Successful launch of the follow-up mission to DART in the field of planetary asteroid defense: The ESA probe "Hera" lifted off on Monday at 16:58 CEST aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the US spaceport Cape Canaveral in Florida in the direction of the asteroid Dimorphos, which it should reach in 26 months.

"Hera" is a follow-up mission: two years ago, as part of the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, a NASA space agency probe deliberately crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos (also known as Didymoon) - with a diameter of around 150 meters, part of a double asteroid system whose second asteroid is called Didymos.

"Hera" lifted off on board a SpaceX rocket from the US spaceport Cape Canaveral in Florida.

(Bild: ESA/S. Corvaja)

Asteroid's course changed with DART
At the end of September 2023, DART made it possible for the first time to change the course of an asteroid using man-made technology: since then, Dimorphos (pictured below) has orbited the central body Didymos as a moon in around 11.5 hours instead of the previous twelve hours.

(Bild: NASA (gemeinfrei))

Impact crater to be examined
The "Hera" probe is now to investigate what exactly happened back then and how efficient the impact really was: the equipment it is carrying will be used to examine the impact crater on Dimorphos, determine the mass of the asteroid and also record its internal properties - in order to learn for future planetary asteroid defense.

Planetary asteroid defence is not as far away as people often think: "Asteroids do hit the Earth from time to time," explains Rolf Densing, ESA Director of Mission Operations, referring to the Chelyabinsk event in the Urals in February 2013, which was triggered by an asteroid around 20 meters in size. Around 1,500 people were injured when the boulder exploded over Russia, mostly from shattering window glass.

Technology from Austria also on board
"Hera" has twelve instruments on board as well as two other small satellites that will operate independently of the space probe. The Austrian space company Beyond Gravity is among the institutions and companies from the 18 ESA member states involved - Japan was also on board. It supplied the drive electronics for the mechanisms that optimally align the solar panels with the sun to supply power.