Paris:A European spacecraft has commenced a detailed examination of an asteroid system that was previously impacted by NASA in 2022. This mission is part of an effort to explore the feasibility of deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids away from Earth.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the European Space Agency (ESA) revealed that the Hera spacecraft is now closely surveying the asteroid Didymos and its moonlet, Dimorphos, from a distance ranging between 15 to 18 miles. This follows a significant experiment in which NASA's Dart spacecraft intentionally collided with Dimorphos, altering its orbital period and trajectory.
The Dart mission aimed to test if such a collision could be used to prevent a possible asteroid catastrophe on Earth. The impact resulted in a debris trail extending over 10,000 kilometers into space, with some material potentially remaining in the vicinity.
Hera, launched in 2024, is expected to move even closer to the asteroids next month, closing in to just 12 miles. The mission has been dubbed a "crash site investigation" by ESA, with the spacecraft acting as a robotic investigator equipped with 25 scientific instruments. It also includes two CubeSats intended to study Dimorphos in detail and attempt a landing on its surface.
Dimorphos measures approximately 500 feet in diameter, while Didymos is about 2,560 feet across. The mission continues to provide valuable insights into asteroid dynamics and planetary defense strategies.