Mission Hera and the future of planetary defense

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission took off on Monday October 7, 2024, carrying two minisatellites to the asteroid Didymos. The aim: to examine the consequences of the deliberate collision two years ago with the probe that deflected Dimorphos, a small asteroid orbiting Didymos. This technique could be used as a planetary defense measure should an asteroid ever threaten the Earth.