Hera spacecraft to visit Dimorphos asteroid that humans knocked off course

The mission aims to re-visit the asteroid Nasa diverted when it crashed a probe into it.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifyUS ElectionElection pollsKamala HarrisDonald TrumpJD VanceTim WalzSportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersSpacecraft to launch towards knocked off course asteroidNASAArtwork showing Nasa's craft aiming for Dimorphos asteroid in 2022A spacecraft is due to launch from Florida destined for an asteroid that US space agency Nasa knocked off course in 2022.

It is part of an international mission to see if we can stop dangerous asteroids hitting Earth.

The Hera craft will look at what happened to a space rock called Dimorphos when Nasa intentionally collided with it.

If all goes to plan, the spacecraft will reach Dimorphos in December 2026.

The Hera mission, which is run by the European Space Agency, is a follow-on from Nasa’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) project.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly694y5kgeo

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