Hera, a proposed ESA mission, is set to mark humanity's maiden voyage to rendezvous with the binary asteroid system, Didymos.

Didymos, consisting of a primary body with a diameter of roughly 780 m and a secondary body, Didymoon, measuring around 160 m in diameter, orbits the main asteroid at a distance of approximately 1.2 km.

Didymoon is scheduled to collide with NASA's DART spacecraft in October 2022, a significant event expected to induce a slight alteration in its orbital velocity, around half a millimeter per second, leading to an observable shift in its rotation period, detectable with Earth-based telescopes. Simultaneously, the impact of DART will create a 20-meter-wide crater on Didymoon's surface. Hera's mission encompasses detailed mapping of this crater to gather essential insights for the design of future asteroid deflection missions. Moreover, the mission endeavors to uncover the asteroid's surface properties and internal structure, examining whether it presents as a solid monolith or a rubble pile, if its composition is dominated by large or fine grains, and whether the subsurface composition parallels that of the surface.

Credit: ESA-Science Office

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