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Saturday, October 10, 2026 · UTC
Missions & Exploration

ESA Hera mission to perform braking manoeuvre ahead of Didymos asteroid rendezvous

The manoeuvre is scheduled for early Thursday, as the probe approaches the site of the 2022 DART asteroid deflection test.

Caleb Mbeki
Planetary Science Reporter
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ESA probe Hera approaches asteroid system Didymos
ESA probe Hera approaches asteroid system Didymos AI illustrationhow this picture was made
The ESA Hera mission will perform a braking manoeuvre early Thursday morning to prepare for rendezvous with the Didymos asteroid system and its moon Dimorphos.[1] Hera launched on 7 October 2024. The burn is designed to reduce the probe's velocity relative to the asteroids by a few hundred metres per second.[2][3] NASA's DART spacecraft deliberately impacted Dimorphos in 2022 to shift its orbit. Hera has been dispatched to investigate the full results of that deflection test.[5] Once on station, Hera will release two cubesats, Milani and Juventas. The craft will conduct spectral surface observations and radar soundings, alongside close-up examinations of both asteroids.[4][6]
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  1. The ESA Hera mission will perform a braking maneuver early Thursday morning to prepare for its rendezvous with the asteroid system Didymos and its moon Dimorphos. · EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world
  2. The Hera mission launched on October 7, 2024, toward the impact site on Dimorphos, a moon of the asteroid Didymos. · EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world
  3. The braking maneuver is designed to reduce Hera's velocity relative to the asteroids by a few hundred meters per second. · EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world
  4. Hera will release two cubesats, Milani and Juventas, to conduct spectral surface observations and radar soundings of the asteroid. · EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world
  5. NASA's DART spacecraft deliberately impacted the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022 to shift its orbit around Didymos, and Hera will investigate the results of this impact. · esa.intofficial source
  6. Upon arrival, Hera and its CubeSat companions will conduct close-up examinations of the Didymos and Dimorphos asteroids. · esa.intofficial source
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