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Hera

Hera asteroid mission, shaken not stirred

How could the Hera mission team become certain their asteroid-explorer spacecraft was robust enough to be flown into space aboard a rocket? They took their spacecraft and shook it bodily, replicating the kind of vibrations it will…

Hera asteroid mission on show

Almost exactly a year before launch, ESA’s Hera asteroid mission for planetary defence went on show to more than 8 000 visitors at ESA’s Open Days at ESTEC in the Netherlands last weekend.About half the size of a Smart car, the…

Hera takes wing

ESA’s Hera asteroid mission for planetary defence seen with one of its two solar wings added, during its continuing test campaign at the ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands.Watch the solar wing being deployed in this video clip. …

Hera asteroid mission here

The moment ESA’s Hera asteroid mission for planetary defence arrived at the largest satellite test site in Europe – the ESTEC Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.The van-sized spacecraft was driven overnight from its…

Mating Hera: two into one

Hera is complete. ESA’s asteroid mission for planetary defence was built and prepared in two halves, but now, through a painstaking operation, they have been mated together to make a single spacecraft, ready for full-scale testing…