Science

Hera spacecraft starts close-range study of Didymos asteroid system

ABC News reports the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft is observing Didymos and Dimorphos from 15 to 18 miles away, with a closer approach planned next month.

Published Nov 12, 2026 · 07:51 UTC1 reports

The short version

The European Space Agency says its Hera spacecraft has begun close inspections of the asteroid Didymos and its moonlet Dimorphos.[ABC News]
NASA's 2022 DART impact on Dimorphos shortened the moonlet's orbit and shifted its path around the sun.[ABC News]
Hera is currently 15 to 18 miles away and will move to about 12 miles next month.[ABC News]
Hera carries 25 science instruments and two shoebox-sized CubeSats, and is intended to attempt a landing on Dimorphos.[ABC News]

Key facts

The European Space Agency announced that Hera is studying Didymos and Dimorphos from 15 to 18 miles away.[ABC News]
NASA's DART spacecraft deliberately struck Dimorphos in 2022 as a planetary defense test.[ABC News]
The 2022 impact shortened the moonlet's orbit around Didymos and nudged it into a slightly different path around the sun.[ABC News]
Hera is scheduled to move to about 12 miles from the asteroids next month.[ABC News]
Hera carries 25 science instruments and two shoebox-sized CubeSats to survey Dimorphos more closely and attempt to land on it.[ABC News]
Dimorphos is estimated at 500 feet (151 meters) in diameter, and Didymos is roughly 2,560 feet (780 meters) across.[ABC News]

What remains uncertain

The report describes a planned landing attempt on Dimorphos but gives no date or confirmed plan for it.[ABC News]
The asteroid dimensions are described as estimates, and the account comes from a single outlet relaying the agency's announcement.[ABC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

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