One step closer to Mars' satellite: "Hera" asteroid mission used for the first time beyond Earth and the Moon
Kyiv • UNN
The "Hera" probe photographed Mars and Deimos during the flyby. This will help in planning future missions to explore Mars' satellites and develop technologies to protect against asteroids.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera (Hera) interplanetary station has photographed the surface of the red planet as well as the surface of Deimos, the smaller and more mysterious of Mars' two satellites, while performing a flyby of Mars.
UNN reports with reference to the European Space Agency (ESA).
The European Space Agency's "Hera" probe, on its way to the asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos, passed near Mars. Activating a number of instruments, HERA photographed the surface of the red planet, as well as the face of Deimos, the smaller and more mysterious of Mars' two moons.
Reference
"Hera" was launched on October 7, 2024. The key goal is to overcome the space on the way to the first asteroid whose orbit was changed by human activity. Collecting data from close range about the asteroid Dimorphos, which was hit by the NASA DART spacecraft in 2022, "Hera" should help make asteroid deflection "a well-known and potentially repeatable technique".
Hera's flyby of Mars on March 12 was an integral part of the deep space cruise phase. Moving at a speed of 9 km/s relative to Mars, Hera was able to photograph Deimos from a distance of 1000 km, surveying the less visible opposite side of the tidally locked moon from the red planet. The 12.4 km dust-covered Deimos may actually be the remnant of a giant collision with Mars or a captured asteroid.
Our mission analysis and flight dynamics team at ESOC in Germany did a great job of planning the gravity assist. Especially since they were asked to fine-tune the maneuver to bring Hera closer to Deimos, which created extra work for them!
The results of the close encounter with Deimos should help in the operational planning of the Mars Moons Exploration Mission (MMX), which will be led next year by a number of international space centers, including:
- JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency);
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration);
- French Space Agency CNES;
- German Aerospace Center (DLR).