SpaceX will send Europa’s Hera spacecraft toward asteroid Dimorphos on Monday (Oct. 7) for a post-launch assessment, and you can watch liftoff live.
The European Space AgencyHera’s mission will visit NASA’s asteroid Dimorphos DART (Dual Asteroid Redirect Test) spacecraft will hit orbit in September 2022. Hera Evaluate the consequences Study both the impact and the asteroid’s surface and internal structure in detail.
Important Hera The spacecraft and its two partners CubesNamed Milani and Juventus, a summit is to be launched SpaceX A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Monday (Oct. 7) at 10:52 a.m. EDT (1452 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. You can watch the launch live courtesy of ESA or directly on Space.com By company.
Dimorphos is a moon of the near-Earth asteroid Didymos. Binary Asteroid system Previously visited by NASA’s DART spacecraft, it intentionally collided with Dimorphos in 2022 and changed its orbit around Didymos in a demonstration of a planetary defense technique designed to alter the trajectory of a potentially hazardous asteroid.
If all goes well, Hera will reach Dimorphos in late 2026. The spacecraft will evaluate the size and depth of the crater created by DART and the effectiveness of the impact.
Related: See the 1st images of DART’s wild asteroid crash!
Hera will use two CubeSats to study the internal structure, surface minerals and gravity at Dimorphos. This data will help researchers better understand how the impact was affected Asteroid Also, provide valuable information for future asteroid deflection missions.
Hera and its two cubesats arrived at their launch pad in Florida in early September. It aims to launch on Monday (Oct. 7), though the release date is Oct. It will be till 27th. Starting at any time during this window, Hera can reach her destination in Demorphose. Keep up with the mission and check back for coverage of the launch on Space.com.
