The Hera spacecraft in front of the Didymos and Dimorphos asteroids
The Hera spacecraft in front of the Didymos and Dimorphos asteroids
The Hera spacecraft will study the binary asteroid system, comprised of Didymos and Dimorphos, for six months in 2026 to find out exactly how the orbital period and shape of the asteroids have changed since the impact of NASA's DART probe in 2022. Hera is equipped with 12 measuring instruments for this purpose. The most important of these are the two asteroid framing cameras – two redundant, monochromatic cameras – which will be used to determine the position of the space probe in the asteroid system. They are essential for navigating the probe. Hera is also carrying two CubeSats, Juventas and Milani, each the size of a shoebox. They will move closer to Dimorphos and even attempt to land on it in the final phase of the mission to determine its interior structure, surface properties and gravitational field.
