European Space Agency spacecraft begins close inspection of asteroid Dimorphos

The European Space Agency announced on Wednesday that its Hera spacecraft has begun close inspections of an asteroid rammed by NASA four years ago. Euronews reported that the spacecraft is now studying the binary asteroid system Didymos and its moonlet Dimorphos from a distance of 25 kilometers to 30 kilometers away. [1][2][3][4][5][6]

The mission aims to examine how Dimorphos was affected after NASA deliberately rammed the moonlet in 2022. Euronews reported that NASA's DART spacecraft slammed into Dimorphos to test planetary defense solutions against potential Earth impacts, which shortened the moonlet's orbit around Didymos. [1]

Hera is the first planetary defense spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency as part of its Space Safety Programme. The 1,128 kilogram spacecraft carries cameras, an altimeter, a spectrometer, and two small CubeSat spacecraft named Milani and Juventas. It launched in October 2024 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and arrived at the asteroid system in November 2026. [7]

The observations will help researchers evaluate planetary defense methods. Euronews reported that scientists are analyzing the site to determine whether kinetic impact techniques can effectively alter the trajectory of a space rock to protect Earth in the future. [1][7]