ESA Successfully Assembles Hera Asteroid Spacecraft for Groundbreaking Mission

The European Space Agency's Hera asteroid mission, designed for planetary defense, has reached a significant milestone as its two halves, the Core Module and Propulsion Module, have been successfully mated together at OHB Bremen in Germany. The spacecraft will now undergo full-scale testing to ensure its readiness for space. Hera's mission is to perform a close-up survey of the crater left by the DART mission's impact on the Dimorphos asteroid and measure the mass and composition of Dimorphos and its larger counterpart, Didymos. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off in October 2024.