10 asteroid mysteries that Hera will explore
ESA’s Hera mission will reach the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system in November to assess NASA’s DART deflection experiment and investigate long-standing asteroid mysteries.
Hera, the European Space Agency’s first planetary defence mission, will arrive at the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system in November. The spacecraft will study the aftermath of NASA’s DART mission, which intentionally collided with Dimorphos on 26 September 2022, altering its orbit. Hera’s survey aims to transform this kinetic impact into a reliable planetary defence strategy by providing detailed observations of the collision site.
Dimorphos, the smaller of the two asteroids at 151 metres across, became the first Solar System object to have its orbit deliberately changed by human intervention. Its parent asteroid, Didymos, measures 780 metres and serves as the reference point for Dimorphos’s orbit. Hera will conduct a close-up analysis of Dimorphos to determine the structural and compositional effects of the DART impact.
Scientists anticipate that Hera’s findings will extend beyond planetary defence, offering new insights into the dynamic nature of asteroids. Past missions have shown that asteroids are not static bodies but evolve over time due to collisions, spin changes, and surface activity. Hera will investigate these processes in detail, addressing long-standing questions about asteroid formation and behaviour.
The mission will also test new technologies for autonomous navigation and close-proximity operations around a low-gravity body. By mapping Dimorphos’s surface and internal structure, Hera aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the asteroid’s response to external forces, paving the way for future deflection strategies.