Germany plays a significant role in this mission, with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) coordinating contributions through the German Space Agency. The spacecraft, developed by OHB in Bremen, includes German technology such as a newly designed antenna and imaging systems. The DLR's Microgravity User Support Centre (MUSC) and the Institute of Planetary Research are also involved.
"Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid struck Mexico and was very probably the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs. If large asteroids were to hit Earth, it would pose a real threat to our planet and all of humanity. With the Hera mission, we are expanding our knowledge of asteroids and, together with NASA, JAXA, ESA and other space agencies, are making a major contribution to effective planetary defence," said Walther Pelzer, DLR Executive Board member and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR.
Protecting Earth from Asteroid Impacts
While asteroid impacts are rare, they can cause devastating consequences. The 2013 Chelyabinsk event in Russia, where a 20-meter asteroid exploded in the atmosphere, injuring over 1,500 people, is a stark reminder of the potential danger. "Chelyabinsk was an event that serves as a warning, and to prevent dangerous incidents in the future, we need the data from the Hera mission," said Manuel Metz, Hera project manager at DLR. Stephan Ulamec of MUSC added, "The consequences of an impact by a larger celestial body would be much more severe and could even threaten entire ocean coasts or continents."
Hera and NASA's DART Mission: A Coordinated Defense Effort
NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, the first step of the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) joint project with ESA, set the stage for Hera's mission. DART successfully collided with Dimorphos in 2022, altering its orbit around Didymos by 33 minutes - exceeding predictions. Hera will now follow up by examining the aftermath, using a suite of 12 instruments, including two Asteroid Framing Cameras (AFC) from Jena-Optronik, to create a digital terrain model and assess changes caused by the DART impact.
Jean-Baptiste Vincent, Principal Investigator for the cameras at the DLR Institute of Planetary Research, commented, "Was a crater created on Dimorphos? Was the entire asteroid altered? Was Didymos' surface also affected by ejected material? We want to answer these questions using our digital terrain model."
CubeSats and Future Applications in Planetary Defense
In addition to its main objectives, Hera will deploy two CubeSats, Juventas and Milani, to observe Dimorphos at close range and land on its surface. These nanosatellites will measure the asteroid's surface and internal structure, aiding in the development of future deflection techniques.
The mission's data will also further general asteroid research and contribute to planetary defense strategies, enabling more accurate calculations of how celestial bodies might be redirected if on a collision course with Earth.
German Innovation Driving Hera's Success
Germany has committed euro 130 million, or 37% of Hera's total budget, to the mission, making it the largest contributor. Along with the spacecraft's construction by OHB in Bremen, Germany has provided cutting-edge technology, including the carbon-fiber antenna developed by HPS in Munich and TUD Dresden's radar experiment on Juventas.
The DLR is coordinating all German contributions, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), with German researchers actively involved in analyzing the scientific data from Hera.