Measure how much NASA's DART impact deflected Didymos, validate kinetic impact as planetary-defence strategy and gather detailed data on asteroid properties.
Launched October 2024; arrives at Didymos November 2026, one month ahead of schedule.
Updated 1d agoChecked 11 Oct1 update this week
Hera approaches Didymos and enters a gravity-assisted orbit around the system, allowing close-range photography and measurement.
High-resolution camera images the impact crater left by DART, along with the asteroid's overall shape and surface composition.
Radio tracking from Earth determines Hera's position relative to Didymos with centimetre accuracy, revealing the orbital changes from the DART impact.
Data confirms whether kinetic impact can predictably deflect asteroid orbits, the foundation of Earth-protection plans.
| Spec | Hera |
|---|---|
| Target asteroid | Didymos and moonlet DimorphosR (reported) |
| Didymos distance from Earth (at arrival) | ~10 million kmE (estimated) |
| Scheduled arrival | November 2026R (reported) |
| Survey duration at Didymos | Several monthsR (reported) |
R reported by the company · E our estimate
European Space Agency
Hera mission, Copernicus, ECMWF, planetary defence
ESA is the European intergovernmental space agency with 23 member states. It operates Earth observation systems, the International Space Station, deep-space missions and the Ariane rocket family. The Hera mission is ESA's planetary-defence follow-up to NASA's DART impact test.
