A spacecraft launched on September 7, 2024, representing a crucial development in planetary defense. The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft embarked on a two-year mission to the asteroid Dimorphos, which had been deliberately impacted by NASA’s Dart mission two years earlier. The primary goal of this mission is to assess the effectiveness of that collision as a potential method to deflect asteroids that could threaten Earth. Hera will provide essential data to enhance future strategies for diverting such celestial bodies. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket, the spacecraft successfully separated from its upper stage approximately one hour after liftoff, an achievement met with enthusiasm at the mission control center in Germany.

Hera is expected to reach the asteroid system in 2026 after receiving a gravity assist from Mars. Once at its destination, Hera will orbit Dimorphos and conduct a detailed investigation using 12 sophisticated scientific instruments. Researchers aim to examine the physical changes caused by the 2022 impact, particularly whether the collision left a crater or dramatically altered the asteroid’s structure. The vast debris cloud from the initial impact, which stretched thousands of miles into space, poses a potential hazard to the spacecraft as it approaches the asteroid. In addition to Hera’s observations, two CubeSats will perform even closer inspections, allowing for a more comprehensive study. Through this mission, scientists hope to uncover new insights into Dimorphos’ composition and origins, providing invaluable knowledge that could strengthen Earth’s planetary defense measures in the future.