Hera, the planetary defense mission from the European Space Agency (ESA), has embarked on its two-year journey. With the launch of the Hera spacecraft on Oct. 7, the ESA achieved one of its key objectives — putting together a spacecraft about the size of a van and then launching it with speed.
Another objective of the mission is to study the aftermath of NASA’s 2022 DART mission, which successfully changed the trajectory of an asteroid through a direct impact.
Hera’s Role in Safeguarding Earth from Asteroids
About 30,000 asteroids come relatively close to Earth, and one such space rock hits the planet every 10,000 years. Such an impact, according to Thales, would be equivalent to an explosion of around 50 megatons.
“Hera is part of the international effort to answer the question: Could we do anything if we spotted one on a collision course?” wrote ESA on X (previously Twitter).
Asteroids of mid-sizes, as per Thales, are the ones we should worry about as their impact on a populated area would be devastating. So, a close examination of the effects of DART’s impact will enable Hera to refine asteroid deflection strategies for future planetary defense initiatives.
According to ESA scientists, the investigation of the crash site will help solve the mysteries not only of Dimorphos, which is the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza with a diameter of 495 feet but also of Didymos, the larger asteroid it orbits. Didymos is the size of a mountain, with a diameter of 2,559 feet.
Additionally, Hera will help us understand our solar system by uncovering more information about its formation. This cube-shaped spacecraft will be the first to carry CubeSats to deep space, further enhancing its scientific capabilities.
“Hera will provide valuable data for future asteroid deflection missions and science to help humanity’s understanding of asteroid geophysics as well as solar system formation and evolutionary processes,” wrote SpaceX on X.
Before Hera reaches the double-asteroid system in late 2026, which will take it 121 million miles (nearly 195 million kilometers) away from Earth, the spacecraft will swing by Mars in mid-March next year. This will provide Hera with the extra momentum needed to reach the asteroids.
During the journey, Hera will fly within 3,728 miles of the Martian surface and, as such, will observe one of the red planet’s two moons, named Deimos. The spacecraft will get data for the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe, which will be launched in the coming years to survey the moons and land a small rover on Phobos to collect samples for examination.
Hera will then arrive in Didymos’ orbit, where it will spend six weeks surveying both asteroids. Once it’s done observing, the spacecraft will release two CubeSats with their own propulsion systems.
One of the CubeSats is called Juventas, which is equipped with a radar instrument to peer deep beneath space rocks’ surface. The other one is called Milani, a multispectral imager that maps dust and minerals on these asteroids. The CubeSats will use inter-satellite links to communicate with the spacecraft and then relay their findings back to Earth.
Over a period of 10 weeks, Hera will conduct observations that will take it closer to the asteroid’s surface, coming as close as 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) to it. In the end, Hera could land on Didymos, while the CubeSats could make similar attempts at landing on Dimorphos.
With all the experience that ESA has and will acquire on Hera, it plans to use it for its next mission, Ramses. This way, if we ever detect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, such reconnaissance missions can be launched quickly to precisely determine their trajectory and rule out a false alarm.
Collaborative Efforts in Europe’s Planetary Defense
As part of Europe’s planetary defense program, the Hera, with its two shoebox-size satellites, was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket.
This rocket from Elon Musk’s SpaceX is a reusable, two-stage, medium-lift launch vehicle that provides safe and reliable transport for people and payloads into Earth orbit. Defined by SpaceX as “the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket,” this reusability allows the company to bring down the cost of accessing space.
As per the official website, Falcon 9 has had 377 total launches, 333 total landings, and a total of 308 reflights so far.
For Europe’s first planetary defense mission, Beyond Gravity also provided the essential components, including a central structural tube, solar wings, and electronic products, which are critical to the mission’s success.
“Changing an asteroid’s trajectory is an important planetary defense technique for humanity if a large asteroid is ever found to be on a collision course with Earth.”
– Oliver Grassmann, Executive Vice President of Satellites at Beyond Gravity, a key supplier to the space industry
With its solar wings, the company ensures that Hera has enough electrical power at all times to run its operations. The Hera spacecraft has two solar wings, which are five meters long and have three hinged panels each. This provides the spacecraft with a surface area of about fourteen square meters.
It was the first time that Beyond Gravity developed complete solar arrays for a European mission. These arrays are designed to be always aligned with the Sun and also work in extreme conditions. This is because sunlight on Mars is only 43% as bright as Earth, and going beyond, it goes down to 17%.
Given that it can function at temperatures between -100 C and +140 C, when Hera goes beyond Mars, the solar panels will still be able to generate 800 watts of power, which is sufficient to power key systems like navigational cameras, communication systems, and the onboard computer.
Besides solar wings, Beyond Gravity has provided the central tube to the spacecraft, which acts as the spacecraft’s backbone. This tube is made from carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, serving as the main structural element.
As a central structure, it keeps all the components of the spacecraft together, playing a key role in connecting Hera to its launcher during launch. The tube contains thrusters, propellant tanks, and equipment decks, which ensure the structural soundness of the spacecraft.
Defense firms Thales and Leonardo also contributed technology to the Hera mission through their joint venture Thales Alenia Space, which has a plant in the US and 16 sites in Europe. It posted consolidated revenues of about €2.2 billion in 2023.
The venture provided the power unit and the communications system to Hera, which will allow for the tracking and control of the spacecraft from a distance of up to 500 million kilometers away.
How NASA’s DART Prepared the Ground for Hera’s Mission
While Hera has been launched, it will take the spacecraft two years to reach the asteroid system, and that’s when it will begin to study the effects of the DART impact in order to improve the ‘kinetic impact’ method as a feasible approach to planetary defense.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission from NASA took place in 2022 and impacted the asteroid Dimorphos, which is located about 181 million kilometers from our planet.
DART was launched in Nov. 2021 from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and was the first-ever space mission to show asteroid deflection by kinetic impactor. The vending machine-sized spacecraft used SMART Nav to target the asteroid and adjust DART’s trajectory.
Two years ago, the mission intentionally slammed into the Dimorphos asteroid and altered its orbit. When the collision happened, the cloud of debris extended over 6,213 miles into space and persisted for months. This actually created the first human-made meteor shower that may be visible on Earth and Mars in the future.
According to NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer, Lindley Johnson, the mission’s success demonstrated that:
“We are no longer powerless to prevent this type of natural disaster.”
The asteroid didn’t pose any threat to Earth, but the US space agency wanted to see if colliding the spacecraft into a small asteroid at 13,645 miles per hour (6.1 km per second) would be able to alter its motion. The small size of Dimorphos made it the perfect test subject, and NASA declared the mission a success, leaving an impact crater of about 33 to 65 feet in size.
“This result is one important step toward understanding the full effect of DART’s impact with its target asteroid…As new data come in each day, astronomers will be able to better assess whether and how a mission like DART could be used in the future to help protect Earth from a collision with an asteroid if we ever discover one headed our way.”
– Lori Glaze, the director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division
The images of the aftermath were captured by a CubeSat called LICIACube, which was packed inside the spacecraft. It then separated to capture images and video.
While ground-based telescopes have been used to monitor the crash aftermath, questions remain about DART’s impact and the composition of the asteroids that can help improve the asteroid-deflecting technology. Hera, here, aims to close that loop by doing a full-scale assessment and detailing the final outcome.
Despite already having “super images” of both the asteroids, Hera will bring us new images, and that’ll be “like discovering new worlds,” said Patrick Michel, Hera mission’s principal investigator and the director of research at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France. He added:
“The cool thing is that we will know why they are new or different, as DART gave us all the initial conditions that led to their transformation.”
Scientists are eager to understand different aspects of Dimorphic, including its composition. So, while the DART mission was an “amazing success,” Hera is necessary to measure the efficiency of DART’s deflection test.
“I hope this can offer a source of inspiration for other missions devoted to planetary defense and solar system exploration.”
– Patrick Michel
Technologies Paving the Way for a Space-Faring Future
The planetary defense mission from the European Space Agency represents a monumental step in developing asteroid deflection techniques and humanity’s preparation for becoming a multi-planetary species.
Moreover, Hera demonstrates advancements in deep space navigation and autonomous technology, which are likely to play significant roles in future space exploration and colonization efforts.
And as we expand into space, safeguarding Earth and other potential future habitats from space hazards becomes essential. By advancing our ability to deflect or redirect asteroids, missions like Hera contribute to ensuring the long-term survival of human civilization, not just on Earth but far beyond.
Still, it’s just the beginning, and in order to become a multi-planetary species with a space-faring economy, we need several critical technologies spanning various sectors of aerospace, energy, and life sciences.
This includes cost-effective, durable, and reusable rockets, with SpaceX’s Starship being a prime example of such technology. Advanced propulsion technologies like nuclear thermal, meanwhile, are needed for faster and more efficient travels to planets like Mars.
Just going to these planets is not enough, though. In order to live there, we need life support systems in terms of air, water, and food that are necessary for long-term habitation.
Energy systems like portable nuclear reactors and solar arrays optimized for use in space environments are also necessary to help with settlement on other planets. Besides the powering needs, we are going to need technology that allows us to extract resources from planets and asteroids. Besides raw materials, we will need technology like 3D printing to utilize them for fuel, building infrastructure, and life support.
Robotics will also be a great help with building the infrastructure, especially in hazardous or hard-to-reach locations.
Reliable, high-speed communication systems, meanwhile, will play a key role in maintaining contact between Earth and colonies on other planets, while advancement is required in medicine in order to protect human life. Genetic engineering and biological countermeasures against threats of cosmic radiation will further ensure human health outside of Earth.
While currently, it all remains a dream, several companies are developing the technologies necessary for humanity to become a multi-planetary species.
SpaceX is certainly a big name in this field with its reusable rockets. The company is also planning to use its Starship spacecraft to enable human colonization of Mars while focusing on global satellite-based communications via Starlink.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos has also thrown in his hat with Blue Origin. Through its reusable New Glenn rocket and Blue Moon lunar lander, the company aims to enable human colonization. Northrop Grumman (NOC +0.3%) is yet another one that is involved in NASA’s Artemis program, while its Cygnus spacecraft provides cargo resupply services to the International Space Station (ISS).
Lockheed Martin (LMT +1.1%)
This global aerospace and defense company is working closely with NASA on the Orion spacecraft, which is designed for deep-space exploration. The company also has a vision for its interplanetary voyage to the red planet called “Mars Base Camp,” an orbital station that would provide support for future crewed missions.
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT +1.1%)
With its shares currently trading at $605.11, up 33.51% year-to-date, Lockheed Martin’s market cap has reached $144.23 bln. The company has an EPS (TTM) of 27.58, a P/E (TTM) of 21/94, and a dividend yield of 2.18%.
For Q2 2024, the company reported net sales of $18.1 billion and net earnings of $1.6 billion, or $6.85 per share. Cash from operations, meanwhile, was $1.9 billion, and free cash flow at the end of the quarter came in at $1.5 billion. The company also reported a backlog of nearly $160 billion as it continues to see heightened demand for defense technology solutions.
“From the PAC-3’s critical role in air defense to the Aegis Combat System with AI augmentation to the F-35 with its advanced sensor and data management capabilities, our company has made major contributions to allied and partner defense.”
– Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet
Conclusion
As we saw, Hera represents a big and critical step forward in planetary defense. By providing valuable insights into asteroid deflection technology, this mission will not only refine the ‘kinetic impact’ method for asteroid deflection but will also contribute to broader space exploration. Hera also has the potential to pave the way for us to become a multi-planetary species and safeguard life on Earth and beyond.
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