Europe's Hera spacecraft begins close inspections of an asteroid rammed by NASA in a 2022 test - Phys.org
The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft has begun close-range inspections of the asteroid Dimorphos, which was impacted by NASA's DART mission in 2022. The mission aims to analyze the crash site to better understand planetary defense strategies.
Why it matters
This mission provides critical data on how to deflect potential asteroid threats to Earth, advancing global planetary defense capabilities.
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Add to Preferred Sources This undated image provided by the European Space Agency on Nov. 5, 2026, and taken by the Hera spacecraft shows asteroid Didymos. Credit: European Space Agency via AP A European spacecraft has begun close inspections of an asteroid rammed by NASA four years ago in a planetary defense test.
The European Space Agency announced Wednesday that the Hera spacecraft is now studying Didymos and its moonlet Dimorphos from just 15 miles to 18 miles (25 kilometers to 30 kilometers) away.
NASA's Dart spacecraft deliberately slammed into little Dimorphos in 2022 to see whether such a defensive move might help save Earth from a killer space rock one day.
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