Hera Mission

The Hera Mission is a European space mission aimed at studying the asteroid binary system Didymos and its smaller moonlet, Dinkies. Scheduled for launch around 2024 by the European Space Agency, Hera's goal is to assess the impact of NASA's DART mission, which intentionally collided with Dinkies to test asteroid deflection techniques. Hera will analyze the asteroid system's composition, structure, and response to the collision, providing valuable data to improve planetary defense strategies against potential asteroid threats. It contributes to understanding how to protect Earth from future asteroid impacts and advances our knowledge of asteroid characteristics.