Europe's Hera spacecraft begins close inspections of asteroid in planetary defence mission

The European Space Agency's Hera mission has commenced close inspections of the asteroid Dimorphos, which was previously impacted by NASA's DART mission. The spacecraft is studying Dimorphos and its larger companion Didymos from a distance of 25 to 30 kilometers as part of a planetary defense investigation. Hera, launched in 2024, will venture even closer next month, to 20 kilometers, carrying 25 science instruments and two CubeSats to survey Dimorphos and attempt a landing.