Overview
- Hera captured an image on 18 October from about 1,280 kilometers that shows the 780 m asteroid Didymos and its 151 m moon Dimorphos as two distinct light points.
- The picture is low resolution and cannot reveal surface details or a DART crater, and ESA plans higher-resolution observations after Hera’s scheduled arrival at the system on 4 November with detailed images expected around 25 November.
- In October Hera executed two braking maneuvers that reduced its speed relative to the asteroid pair to roughly 20 meters per second to shift from cruise to close-proximity operations and begin optical-based navigation.
- Hera carries two CubeSats, Milani and Juventas, that will be deployed in the mission’s final phase and will study surface composition and probe internal structure with radar, with planned terminal activities and landings in early 2027.
- By measuring Dimorphos’s mass, shape and internal make-up up close, Hera will quantify how NASA’s 2022 DART impact transferred momentum and will supply data to improve models used for future asteroid-deflection planning.