ESA Media Briefing on the Hera mission (2 oct. 2024)
The ESA Hera mission media briefing on October 2, 2024, revealed the launch date and vehicle for the mission, which is set to launch on October 7, 2024. - by Frederic Eger - The mission aims to conduct a detailed survey of Dimorphos, the asteroid impacted by NASA's DART mission in September 2022. The mission will also deploy two CubeSats, Milani and Juventas, to investigate Dimorphos' internal structure and surface minerals. This data will be crucial for understanding the asteroid's composition and behavior following the DART impact. The mission is pivotal for planetary defense strategies, providing data to evaluate the effectiveness of kinetic impact techniques for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids. The briefing highlighted the international collaboration of multiple space agencies in addressing planetary defense challenges. Future implications of the mission include enhancing our understanding of asteroid geophysics and informing future missions aimed at protecting Earth from asteroid threats. The mission is expected to gather six months of close-up observations once it arrives at Dimorphos in late 2026. The ESA Hera mission is expected to significantly advance our knowledge of asteroids and improve planetary defense methodologies through its comprehensive investigation of Dimorphos.
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