ESA - Hera Space Safety Hera Examining the first test of asteroid deflection, performing the first survey of a binary asteroid system As part of the world’s first test of asteroid deflection, Hera will perform a detailed post-impact survey of the target asteroid, Dimorphos – the orbiting moonlet of a binary asteroid system known as Didymos. Now that NASA’s DART mission has impacted the moonlet, Hera will turn the grand-scale experiment into a well-understood and repeatable planetary defence technique. Demonstrating new technologies from autonomous navigation around an asteroid to low gravity proximity operations, Hera will be humankind’s first probe to rendezvous with a binary asteroid system and Europe’s flagship Planetary Defender. Launch: 7 October 2024 Target: Asteroid Dimorphos Rendezvous: November 2026 151mtarget asteroid 1stbinary asteroid survey 12payloads 2CubeSats Latest All Stories Videos Images Story Space Safety Cruise control: the team guiding Hera to its asteroid 13/08/2026 562 views 15 likes Read Story Enabling & Support Your chance to run software in deep space on ESA's asteroid 05/08/2026 4659 views 34 likes Read Story Space Safety Space naming odyssey: why is ESA’s asteroid mission called 14/07/2026 722 views 9 likes Read Story Space Safety Deep space software upgrade for Hera’s asteroid visit 08/07/2026 2518 views 42 likes Read Video 00:03:30 Space Safety Humans changed an asteroid. Now we find out how 30/06/2026 1762 views 37 likes Play Story Space Safety Asteroid Day & eight other key dates in asteroid history 30/06/2026 2467 views 35 likes Read Image Space Safety Hera mission poster 17/03/2026 2519 views 23 likes View Image Space Safety Hera mission timeline 16/03/2026 7321 views 61 likes View Video 00:07:47 Space Safety Hera’s first year in space 07/10/2025 6254 views 97 likes Play Video 00:02:14 Space Safety Hera's Mars flyby - Asteroid Framing Camera (colourised) 15/04/2025 3838 views 77 likes Play Video 01:08:00 Space Safety Images from Hera’s Mars flyby (Official broadcast) 13/03/2025 3496 views 52 likes Play Video 00:03:21 Space Safety The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission – The cosmic 12/03/2025 5208 views 82 likes Play Image Space Safety Hera Mars flyby 10/03/2025 7217 views 92 likes View Image Space Safety Hera: Target Deimos 10/03/2025 4871 views 81 likes View Image Space Safety Moon waves goodbye to Hera 05/11/2024 5349 views 121 likes View More items Video Space Safety Hera planetary defence mission: solving asteroid mysteries 23/09/2024 8687 views 148 likes Play Video Space Safety Hera asteroid mission - launch highlights 07/10/2024 3564 views 48 likes Play Video Space Safety Hera’s first year in space 07/10/2025 6254 views 97 likes Play Video Space Safety Images from Hera’s Mars flyby (Official broadcast) 13/03/2025 3496 views 52 likes Play Video Space Safety Hera trajectory to Didymos 15/04/2024 9683 views 97 likes Play Video Space Safety DART asteroid impact impresses in ESA’s view from the ground 27/09/2022 69251 views 342 likes Play Video Space Safety Hera’s navigation around the asteroids 15/04/2024 2689 views 30 likes Play Video Space Safety Look inside ESA’s Hera asteroid mission 26/09/2024 3794 views 44 likes Play Video Space Safety The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission – Presenting Hera 01/06/2021 15456 views 330 likes Play Hera Overview Story Space Safety Hera mission overview 45449 views 99 likes Read Image Space Safety Hera mission timeline 16/03/2026 7321 views 61 likes View Image Space Safety Hera mission poster 17/03/2026 2519 views 23 likes View Story Space Safety Didymos and Dimorphos 19529 views 51 likes Read Story Space Safety Hera's role in Planetary Defence 10990 views 49 likes Read Story Space Safety Hera's New Technology 5153 views 24 likes Read Story Space Safety Hera's Science 4118 views 23 likes Read Story Space Safety Hera's CubeSats 11104 views 26 likes Read Story Space Safety Hera Frequently Asked Questions 5231 views 14 likes Read ESA's first planetary defence mission In depth Asteroids and Planetary Defence The Hera Spacecraft Hera Science Team Hera operations Hera's Asteroid Deck and instruments The story so far From 2022 to 2026: a question of time Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment (AIDA) collaboration DART Multimedia Hera asteroid mission launch kit Hera images Hera videos The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission – Presenting Hera Hera B-roll footage Follow us @operations.esa.int @esaoperations @esa_hera European Space Agency FAQ Contacts Terms and conditions Privacy notice Careers at ESA Subscribe