SpaceX will launch ESA's Hera mission for planetary defense today; watch it live.
The launch took place at 8:22 p.m. IST.
The Hera mission from the European Space Agency (ESA), focused on planetary defense, is scheduled for launch today. It will take place at 8:22 PM IST, using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. In case the launch is not completed, there is a second opportunity on October 8 at 8:16 PM. However, the weather conditions are only 15% favorable, which could result in a delay.
Recently, the SpaceX team encapsulated NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft in the Falcon Heavy's fairing, which is scheduled to launch next week from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. The Hera mission marks the 23rd and final launch of the rocket that will be used for this mission, which has previously supported ten Starlink missions and other significant crewed missions, such as NASA's Crew-1 and Crew-2, in addition to launching NASA's IXPE observatory.
The Hera mission, named after the Greek goddess of marriage, is designed to investigate the asteroid Dimorphos, which has a diameter of 160 meters. This asteroid was impacted by NASA's DART probe in 2022 as part of an experiment to observe whether a spacecraft can alter the trajectory of an asteroid. The mission includes a main spacecraft and two cubesats that will jointly examine the characteristics of Dimorphos. Hera will assess the impact of the DART mission and is expected to arrive at Dimorphos, which orbits a larger asteroid known as Didymos (780 meters wide), around December 2026. Observations will begin after Hera enters orbit in late January or early February 2027.
Mission objectives include measuring the mass and dynamics of Dimorphos, analyzing its surface and internal properties, and studying the crater generated by the DART impact. Additionally, the spacecraft and its cubesats, Juventus and Milani, will be equipped with 12 instruments to carry out these tasks. The spacecraft weighs approximately 1214 kg, of which 518 kg is propellant. ESA indicates that the total duration of the mission will be two years from its start. This dataset will help scientists develop planetary defense technologies that could, on a large scale, protect Earth from asteroids with the potential to cause mass extinctions.
