Hera mission set to revisit asteroid after NASA's redirection test

The European Space Agency is sending a probe to get a closer look at the asteroid Dimorphos, which had its orbit altered by NASA’s DART mission in 2022

The European Space Agency’s Hera mission will study the asteroids Dimorphos aided by two CubeSats called Juventas and MilaniTwo years after a NASA spacecraft slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos, another mission to map the space rock is about to launch. The data it collects will refine Earth’s planetary defences against asteroid threats, say researchers.

The initial concept behind the project was for Hera to be present when DART collided with Dimorphos, but delays in funding made that impossible. Despite this, the asteroid’s change in orbit was observed from Earth, and Hera’s job now is to gather more data about Dimorphos so that scientists can better understand how future impacts could be planned to deflect bodies on a collision course with Earth.

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