Hera: ESA's Complete Asteroid Spacecraft for Planetary Defense
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission, aimed at studying the Dimorphos and Didymos asteroids for planetary defense, has been fully assembled in Germany. The spacecraft, consisting of a Core Module and a Propulsion Module, was carefully mated together over a three-hour period. The modules were aligned with precision and will undergo rigorous testing in the Netherlands to ensure readiness for space. Hera's mission includes a close-up survey of the crater left by NASA's DART mission on Dimorphos and the measurement of Dimorphos' mass and composition, as well as that of the larger Didymos asteroid.