A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches into the twilight sky carrying two European Galileo navigation satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sept. 17, 2024. (Image credit: Future)
Dimorphos is a moonlet of the near-Earth asteroid Didymos. The binary asteroid system was previously visited by NASA’s DART spacecraft, which intentionally collided with Dimorphos in 2022 and changed its orbit around Didymos as a demonstration of a planetary defense technique designed to change the trajectory of a potentially hazardous asteroid.
If all goes well, Hera will arrive at Dimorphos in late 2026. The spacecraft will evaluate the size and depth of the crater created by DART, as well as the efficiency of the impact.
Related: Behold the 1st images of DART’s wild asteroid crash!
Hera will also deploy two cubesats to study the internal structure, surface minerals and gravity at Dimorphos. This data will help researchers better understand how the impact affected the asteroid and, in turn, provide valuable information for future asteroid deflection missions.
Hera and its two cubesats arrived at their launch site in Florida in early September. The mission is aiming to lift off on Monday (Oct. 7), though the launch period runs through Oct. 27. Launching any time within this window will allow Hera to reach its destination at Dimorphos. Be sure to follow along with the mission and check back for coverage of the launch here at Space.com.
Source link : https://www.space.com/esa-hera-mission-spacex-launch-livestream
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Publish date : 2024-10-06 13:00:01
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