Asteroid Defense: Europe's Hera Mission to Investigate NASA's DART Impact

Scientists are closely examining the results of NASA's DART mission, a groundbreaking test of planetary defense. In September 2022, the DART spacecraft intentionally collided with an asteroid at 20,000 kilometers per hour to test deflection capabilities. Although the mission altered the asteroid's trajectory, definitive data on its effectiveness is still being gathered.

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Planetary defense includes activities aimed at protecting us from the impact of an asteroid. In other words, we don't want to have the end of the dinosaurs!

To further this research, the European Space Agency launched the Hera spacecraft in October 2024. Hera's mission is to act as a "space detective," meticulously studying the asteroid's impact site. Dr. Patrick Michel, the mission's lead scientist, explained that Hera will investigate crater formation, size, and depth, providing unprecedented insights into high-speed impact effects. "We don't want to have the end of the dinosaurs!" Michel stated, emphasizing the importance of planetary defense.

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We want to know if the impact created a crater, what its size and depth are. So, we needed a 'detective,' like... Inspector Columbo, who returns to the crime scene.

Hera will be accompanied by two small CubeSats, one equipped with radar to probe the asteroid's internal composition. This will help scientists understand how an asteroid's structure, whether solid rock or a loose aggregate, affects its response to an impact. "If you shoot a sponge, you don't get the same reaction as a metal rod," Michel elaborated.

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We want to learn for the first time what it means to have been hit at high speed to be deflected.

While the current known asteroid population does not present a short- or medium-term threat to Earth, scientists acknowledge the potential for unknown objects. The ongoing research and missions like DART and Hera are vital steps in building humanity's capacity to defend against future asteroid impacts.

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It is the first time we are sending to an asteroid not only a spacecraft, but a system that carries two CubeSats (small satellites) the size of a shoebox.