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.
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Identity
- Aliases
- HeraHera Asteroid MissionHera Planetary Defence MissionESA HeraHera asteroid mission
- Name
- ESA Hera
- Status
- active
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- 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.
- Destination
- Didymos–Dimorphos binary asteroid system, including a rendezvous and detailed post-impact survey of Dimorphos
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Ongoing; rendezvous with the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system is scheduled for November 2026.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 2024-10-07
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- April 26, 2026 at 14:38:31 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 22, 2026 at 09:55:14 UTC
- Image
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Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles