A recent space exploration mission aimed at studying an asteroid has yielded remarkable images of Mars and its moon, Deimos, during its journey to its final destination.
NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) in 2022 demonstrated the potential to alter the trajectory of an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. By impacting the 610-kilogram spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos at a speed of 6.6 kilometers per second, NASA successfully altered its orbit. Dimorphos poses no threat to our planet and served solely as a test subject for this ground-breaking mission.
The Hera mission, launched by the European Space Agency, is focused on closely examining the effects of the DART impact. The spacecraft, approximately the size of a small car and weighing 1,081 kilograms when fully fueled, took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on October 7, 2024. It performed a flyby of Mars on March 12, 2025, and is set to reach Dimorphos in October 2026.
During its close approach to Mars, Hera came within 5,000 kilometers of the planet’s surface, gaining a gravity assist that will accelerate its journey to Dimorphos while conserving fuel. This proximity allowed Hera to activate three sensors to capture high-resolution images of Mars and Deimos simultaneously.
Utilizing a black and white camera with a resolution of 1020 by 1020 pixels, as well as an infrared camera and a hyperspectral imager capable of detecting colors beyond human perception, Hera was able to photograph Deimos from just 1,000 kilometers away. It captured images of the moon’s previously unseen tidally locked side.
The Hera mission initially aimed to be present at the moment DART collided with Dimorphos, however, delays in funding resulted in its arrival being pushed back to several years after the impact. Additionally, the mission incorporates two miniature satellites, or CubeSats, named Juventas and Milani. These CubeSats will conduct daring flybys of Dimorphos, gathering valuable data as they approach the asteroid with progressively closer passes. Eventually, they are expected to land on the asteroid for a more in-depth analysis.
