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ESA Hera

Hera is ESA's planetary-defence mission to survey the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system after NASA's DART impact. Launched on Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 on October 7, 2024, Hera completed a Mars flyby in March 2025 and is on course to rendezvous with Didymos in November 2026. It will measure the impact's outcome, characterize both asteroids, test autonomous proximity operations, and deploy the Milani and Juventas CubeSats.

ESA Hera
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Identity

Aliases
HeraHera Asteroid MissionHera Planetary Defence MissionESA HeraHera asteroid mission
Name
ESA Hera
Status
active

Details

Astronauts
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Description
Hera is ESA's planetary-defence mission to survey the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system after NASA's DART impact. Launched on Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 on October 7, 2024, Hera completed a Mars flyby in March 2025 and is on course to rendezvous with Didymos in November 2026. It will measure the impact's outcome, characterize both asteroids, test autonomous proximity operations, and deploy the Milani and Juventas CubeSats.
Launch Site
Outcome
Ongoing; rendezvous with the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system is scheduled for November 2026.
Program
Space Safety Programme
Start Date
2024-10-07
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Creation Time
April 26, 2026 at 14:38:31 UTC
Updated Time
July 23, 2026 at 05:52:19 UTC

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