Hera Asteroid Probe Successfully Begins Journey to Mars

The European Space Agency's Hera asteroid probe has successfully completed two engine burns, setting it on course for a Mars flyby in March 2025. This maneuver will provide a gravity assist to accelerate Hera towards the Didymos binary asteroid system, where it will study the aftermath of NASA's DART mission's impact on Dimorphos. The spacecraft, which launched on October 7, 2023, will also conduct scientific observations of Mars' moons, Deimos and Phobos, during its flyby.