The European Space Agency’s Hera mission launched on October 7th at 10:52 a.m. EDT aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Hera is headed to the binary asteroid system Didymos, following NASA’s DART mission, which impacted its companion, Dimorphos, in September 2022. This impact showcased planetary defense strategies to protect Earth.
“We want to see Hera call home and say, ‘I’m on my way to Dimorphos,'” said astronomer Alan Fitzsimmons.
Hera confirmed its operational status after separating from the Falcon 9 about 1 hour and 16 minutes post-launch.
The $398 million spacecraft, along with two smaller cubesats named Milani and Juventas, are expected to reach Dimorphos in late 2026, swinging by Mars in 2025 for a gravity assist.
Hera will assess the crater created by DART. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher expressed pride in Hera’s role in Europe’s planetary defence efforts.
