Protecting Earth from asteroid impacts: HERA - the planetary defence mission
Didymos and Dimorphos are a near-Earth binary asteroid system. Here, Didymos is the primary asteroid, which is orbited by the smaller moonlet Dimorphos. Didymos measures approximately 800 metres in diameter, and Dimorphos is approximately 170 metres across. Originally, the distance between them was approximately 1.1 kilometres and Dimorphos' orbital period was 11 hours 55 minutes. The controlled impact of NASA's DART spacecraft on 26 September 2022 brought the asteroid moon closer to Didymos, shortening the moonlet’s orbital period by 32 minutes to 11 hours 23 minutes. The Hera spacecraft will study the asteroid system and the effects of the impact. It is equipped with 12 measuring instruments and two CubeSats, both of which will attempt to land on Dimorphos. Hera is roughly the size of a small car and, when fully fueled, weighs around 1150 kilograms – which is rather light compared to the three-tonne comet hunter Rosetta.
Protecting Earth from asteroid impacts: HERA - the planetary defence mission
Protecting Earth from asteroid impacts: HERA - the planetary defence mission
Didymos and Dimorphos are a near-Earth binary asteroid system. Here, Didymos is the primary asteroid, which is orbited by the smaller moonlet Dimorphos. Didymos measures approximately 800 metres in diameter, and Dimorphos is approximately 170 metres across. Originally, the distance between them was approximately 1.1 kilometres and Dimorphos' orbital period was 11 hours 55 minutes. The controlled impact of NASA's DART spacecraft on 26 September 2022 brought the asteroid moon closer to Didymos, shortening the moonlet’s orbital period by 32 minutes to 11 hours 23 minutes. The Hera spacecraft will study the asteroid system and the effects of the impact. It is equipped with 12 measuring instruments and two CubeSats, both of which will attempt to land on Dimorphos. Hera is roughly the size of a small car and, when fully fueled, weighs around 1150 kilograms – which is rather light compared to the three-tonne comet hunter Rosetta.
Credit:
German Space Agency at DLR