According to news on October 8, the European Space Agency's (ESA) "Hera" asteroid exploration mission was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 10:52 a.m. Eastern Time on October 7.
The Hera probe traveled through the cloudy skies of Florida on its long journey to the binary asteroid system Didymos. It will travel millions of kilometers across the solar system. In September 2022, NASA's "Double Asteroid Redirect Mission" (DART) impacted the small companion star Dimorphos in the Didymos system, changing its orbit, confirming the feasibility of planetary defense strategies and potentially helping the Earth to protect the Earth from the threat of rogue asteroids in the future. The Hera probe will conduct follow-up investigations and studies on the subsequent impact of the DART mission.
Astronomer Alan Fitzsimmons, a member of the Hera science team, said in a webcast before the launch: "We hope that the last signal received is the message from Hera: 'Everything is OK, I am on the way to Dimorphos.'" European Space Agency officials said that "Hera" successfully separated from the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket about 1 hour and 16 minutes after liftoff, and successfully transmitted the signal back.
The news comes as a relief to Fitzsimmons and the entire team.
Fitzsimmons added: "Our detectors are doing fine. We are now heading to Didymos and Dimorphos to conduct detections. This work will help ensure that the world is safer in the face of asteroid threats."
Last week, SpaceX suspended launches due to an abnormality with its Falcon 9 rocket. Hera launches resumed after receiving authorization from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Unlike other regular launches by SpaceX, the first stage booster of the Falcon 9 rocket did not return to Earth for landing. In order to put the Hera probe on its mission to the asteroid, all the fuel on the Falcon 9 booster was exhausted, which made it impossible for the booster to perform conventional recovery. This is the 23rd flight of the booster numbered 1061. It has previously completed 10 "Starlink" missions, two satellite ride-sharing missions, two NASA manned space missions, a NASA cargo flight and 7 other satellite and space missions.
"Goodbye, No. 1061, we thank you." John Insprucker, SpaceX's chief integration engineer, said after the first stage booster separated.
SpaceX stated that during a Falcon 9 rocket launch mission on September 28, the upper stage of the rocket experienced an "abnormal deorbit ignition" while transporting two astronauts to the International Space Station, causing the upper stage to fall into the ocean outside the target disposal area. It is reported that the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket is not reusable, while the first-stage booster can land automatically after a few minutes.
The $398 million Hera probe also carries two smaller cubesats, Milani and Juventas, and is scheduled to arrive at Dimorphos at the end of 2026 to observe the effects of the DART mission up close. On its way to the asteroid, the Hera probe will pass by Mars in 2025 and accelerate forward with the help of gravitational effects.
NASA's DART mission shortened Dimorphos' orbital time by 33 minutes and may have changed the small satellite's shape.
The Hera probe will observe the depth and size of the crater formed by the DART mission's impact on Dimorphos and compare it with earlier simulation results to confirm whether the impact had further impact on the asteroid.
At the same time, two CubeSats will detect the structure, surface minerals and gravity of Dimorphos, all of which will help refine planetary defense models to improve future capabilities against asteroid threats.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said in a statement after the launch: "Planetary defense is an inherently international undertaking, and I am delighted to see ESA's Hera probe at the forefront of Europe's efforts to protect the planet. The Hera mission is a bold step for ESA in the field of planetary defense."