24/7 Space News
IRON AND ICE
Hera probe ready for near-earth asteroid study
illustration only
Hera probe ready for near-earth asteroid study
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 03, 2024

Asteroids have long posed a potential threat to Earth, and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission is set to explore ways to mitigate these risks. Hera, developed in Germany, will embark on a two-year journey to study the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system as part of an international planetary defense effort. Scheduled for launch between 7 and 27 October 2024 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the mission will provide vital data on asteroid deflection capabilities.

Germany plays a significant role in this mission, with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) coordinating contributions through the German Space Agency. The spacecraft, developed by OHB in Bremen, includes German technology such as a newly designed antenna and imaging systems. The DLR's Microgravity User Support Centre (MUSC) and the Institute of Planetary Research are also involved.

"Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid struck Mexico and was very probably the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs. If large asteroids were to hit Earth, it would pose a real threat to our planet and all of humanity. With the Hera mission, we are expanding our knowledge of asteroids and, together with NASA, JAXA, ESA and other space agencies, are making a major contribution to effective planetary defence," said Walther Pelzer, DLR Executive Board member and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR.

Protecting Earth from Asteroid Impacts
While asteroid impacts are rare, they can cause devastating consequences. The 2013 Chelyabinsk event in Russia, where a 20-meter asteroid exploded in the atmosphere, injuring over 1,500 people, is a stark reminder of the potential danger. "Chelyabinsk was an event that serves as a warning, and to prevent dangerous incidents in the future, we need the data from the Hera mission," said Manuel Metz, Hera project manager at DLR. Stephan Ulamec of MUSC added, "The consequences of an impact by a larger celestial body would be much more severe and could even threaten entire ocean coasts or continents."

Hera and NASA's DART Mission: A Coordinated Defense Effort
NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, the first step of the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) joint project with ESA, set the stage for Hera's mission. DART successfully collided with Dimorphos in 2022, altering its orbit around Didymos by 33 minutes - exceeding predictions. Hera will now follow up by examining the aftermath, using a suite of 12 instruments, including two Asteroid Framing Cameras (AFC) from Jena-Optronik, to create a digital terrain model and assess changes caused by the DART impact.

Jean-Baptiste Vincent, Principal Investigator for the cameras at the DLR Institute of Planetary Research, commented, "Was a crater created on Dimorphos? Was the entire asteroid altered? Was Didymos' surface also affected by ejected material? We want to answer these questions using our digital terrain model."

CubeSats and Future Applications in Planetary Defense
In addition to its main objectives, Hera will deploy two CubeSats, Juventas and Milani, to observe Dimorphos at close range and land on its surface. These nanosatellites will measure the asteroid's surface and internal structure, aiding in the development of future deflection techniques.

The mission's data will also further general asteroid research and contribute to planetary defense strategies, enabling more accurate calculations of how celestial bodies might be redirected if on a collision course with Earth.

German Innovation Driving Hera's Success
Germany has committed euro 130 million, or 37% of Hera's total budget, to the mission, making it the largest contributor. Along with the spacecraft's construction by OHB in Bremen, Germany has provided cutting-edge technology, including the carbon-fiber antenna developed by HPS in Munich and TUD Dresden's radar experiment on Juventas.

The DLR is coordinating all German contributions, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), with German researchers actively involved in analyzing the scientific data from Hera.

Related Links
Hera at DLR
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
IRON AND ICE
Asteroid Ryugu's formation region may be closer than previously thought
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 30, 2024
In December 2020, the Hayabusa 2 space probe returned with samples from asteroid Ryugu. Since then, the few grams of material have undergone extensive analysis at laboratories worldwide, including the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS). One of the key studies at MPS focused on metal isotopes within the samples, which can help pinpoint Ryugu's origin within the Solar System. Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid, has an orbit around the Sun that crosses Earth's orbit but poses no collision ... read more

IRON AND ICE
Space Command working with Office of Space Commerce for spaceflight safety

Two UMD space probes advance to next round of NASA's major mission selection

An interstellar instrument takes a final bow

Rutgers awarded $607,000 USDA grant to pioneer electroponics technology

IRON AND ICE
Northrop Grumman selected to lead production of hypersonic interceptor

Last rocket motor test paves way for Vega-C launch

Vulcan Rocket Lifts Off After Delay for Certification Mission

Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time

IRON AND ICE
Crew completes simulated Mars Mission at JSC

Mars' missing atmosphere could be hiding in plain sight

Martian rocks shed light on planet's ancient climate

A Striped Surprise

IRON AND ICE
Shenzhou XIX crew to launch as Shenzhou XVIII returns

Xi emphasizes China's drive to lead in space exploration

China launches Yaogan 43B remote-sensing satellites from Xichang

Shenzhou-18 Crew Tests Fire Alarms and Conducts Medical Procedures in Space

IRON AND ICE
Impulse Space secures $150M in Series B funding to drive growth

Ramon.Space and Radisys collaborate on space-resilient 5G solutions

BlackSky prices $40M Public Offering of Common Stock

Vodafone and Intelsat Expand Satellite Connectivity for Remote Areas and Emergency Response

IRON AND ICE
NASA laser comms dmonstration sets new deep space record

CesiumAstro introduces versatile integrated phased array satellite platform

Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region

Meta says to produce virtual reality headsets in Vietnam

IRON AND ICE
Small exoplanet discovered in 'our cosmic backyard'

Microbes discovered thriving in 2-billion-year-old South African rock

UTA physicists explore possibility of life beyond Earth

Exoplanet map reveals Neptunian Ridge separating planetary regions

IRON AND ICE
Webb telescope detects carbon dioxide on Pluto's largest moon

SwRI team detects carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Pluto's moon Charon

Europa Clipper encapsulated ahead of launch

The PI's Perspective: The Science Never Sleeps

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.