We are proud to announce a significant milestone for the international space community: the launch of the HERA satellite, scheduled for today, October 7, 2024, at 16.57 from #CapeCanaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
HERA represents Europe’s contribution to the #NASA/#ESA planetary defense collaboration, aimed at protecting our planet from potential #asteroid impacts. The satellite will head toward the binary asteroid system #Didymos, which was already the focus of a historic mission in 2022. During that mission, NASA successfully executed a kinetic impact on the smaller of the two celestial bodies through the #DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission.
#OHBSystem is Prime Contractor of the mission and OHB Italia S.p.A. is responsible for System Engineering and procurement of the satellite’s power system.
Following its launch, HERA will carry out a detailed post-impact analysis using high-resolution visual, laser, and radio instruments to accurately map the surface and internal structure of the asteroid. The collected data will validate, for the first time in history, a repeatable process for planetary defense.
We invite you to follow the live broadcast of HERA’s launch at the following link:
https://lnkd.in/g2e4jeU.
In the hereabove picture, our colleague Giuseppe Catalanotto in the control room of ESOC ready for the launch of HERA as representative of OHB Italia 😊. Finger crossed
#OHBItalia #PlanetaryDefense #HERA #SpaceExploration #NASA #ESA #SpaceX
www.ohb-italia.it
