Could the European Space Agency really stop an armageddon? Hera’s Mission holds the answer.
The European Space Agency (ESA) Hera spacecraft has just pulled off a spectacular manoeuvre – whipping past Mars in a gravity-assist flyby that’s saving both time and fuel on its mission to an asteroid with a history of human intervention.
Credit: ESA/Science Office
On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the European Space Agency’s planetary defence probe skimmed within 5000 km of the Red Planet, using its gravity to sling itself towards its ultimate destination – the Didymos binary asteroid system. By hitching a ride on Mars’s gravitational pull, Hera has shaved months off its journey and significantly reduced fuel consumption. Now that’s smart space travel.
Live images incoming
The mission’s science team will release stunning images from the flyby during a livestream on Thursday, March 13, kicking off at 11.50 CET. But the flyby was more than just a cosmic pit stop – Hera also snapped images of Deimos, Mars’s smaller moon, from just 1000 km away, potentially swooping as close as 300 km. Not forgetting Phobos, the larger Martian moon, Hera will continue to capture visuals as it moves further away.
Can we really stop a doomsday asteroid?
Launched on October 7, 2024, Hera is en route to a unique rendezvous. It’s heading for Dimorphos, the first asteroid in history to have had its orbit altered by human action. Back in 2022, NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft deliberately crashed into Dimorphos, proving that asteroid deflection is possible.
But smashing into space rocks is just step one. ESA’s Hera will be the detective, piecing together the full story of what happened post-impact. By December 2026, when it reaches the Didymos-Dimorphos duo, Hera will conduct a close-up investigation, gathering crucial missing data to refine the kinetic impact method. In short, this mission is making asteroid deflection a precise and repeatable science – one that could one day save the planet from catastrophe.
Spacecraft with brains
Want to know more? Hera isn’t just carrying high-tech instruments – it’s got its own AI companion. The Hera Space Companion is on hand to answer burning questions about the mission, its objectives, and the cosmos itself. Get involved.
So, could we really stop an Armageddon? Hera is on a mission to find out, and thanks to its Martian gravity boost, it’s getting there faster than ever.
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