Europe launches space mission to protect Earth from asteroid threats

In a major milestone for the aerospace industry, the Hera mission, a joint project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and leading European aerospace corporations such as Thales Alenia Space, has officially launched.

Accordingly, the Hera spacecraft, successfully launched from the Cape Canaveral rocket launch base (USA) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on October 7, will conduct extensive research on the results of the DART experiment conducted by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), marking a breakthrough in efforts to protect Earth from the threat of asteroids.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is a NASA technology test mission designed to intercept and deflect an asteroid. This is the first time humanity has conducted such a large-scale test to protect Earth from potential threats from near-Earth objects.

According to Thales estimates, around 30,000 asteroids with an average size of 100 to 300 meters are moving through the Solar System on potentially dangerous orbits that could bring them very close to Earth. The alarming fact is that about every 10,000 years, an asteroid of similar size could collide with our planet, causing an explosion of about 50 megatons, equivalent to the power of the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful atomic bomb ever built by the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, the latest information from ESA shows that the universe surrounding Earth is hiding a huge potential threat. Currently, scientists have identified more than 35,000 asteroids with orbits close enough to threaten our planet. To deal with this danger, the Hera mission has been deployed with the goal of finding the answer to the urgent question: What can we do if we discover an asteroid that has the potential to collide with Earth?

ESA's Hera mission is a follow-up to a daring experiment NASA conducted in 2022. After NASA's spacecraft successfully collided with the asteroid Dimorphos, Hera will get closer to study the "impact site" in detail. Hera is expected to arrive at the binary asteroid system in October 2026 and begin collecting data. This will give us a deeper insight into the effectiveness of the kinetic impactor asteroid redirection method, opening up the prospect of widespread application in the future.

According to Thales, medium-sized asteroids are "time bombs" in the universe, with the potential for great destruction. If such an asteroid were to collide with Earth, the consequences would be catastrophic, possibly wiping out a large city or creating giant tsunamis that would devastate coastal areas.

Of particular concern are binary asteroid systems, which make up around 15% of all known asteroids but remain largely unknown to scientists. Detailed study of binary asteroid systems, as ESA’s Hera mission is aiming to do, will help us better understand this threat and find effective ways to counter it.

In a post on social network X, SpaceX affirmed that the Hera mission will play an extremely important role in protecting Earth and expanding our understanding of the universe. Specifically, the data collected from Hera will be the foundation for future asteroid deflection missions, while providing valuable information about the structure, composition and formation process of asteroids, thereby helping us better understand the history of the formation and development of the Solar System.

Thales Alenia Space played a key role in the Hera mission by providing an advanced communications system that allowed ESA to maintain stable communication with the Hera spacecraft even when it was 500 million kilometers away from Earth. Not only that, the system also allowed scientists to precisely control the spacecraft, collect data and send remote control commands, ensuring the success of the mission.

ESA plans to leverage the valuable experience gained from the Hera mission to carry out the ambitious Ramses mission. Scheduled for launch in 2028, Ramses will aim for the asteroid Apophis - a space object that has caused concern among scientists when it was predicted to fly past Earth at a distance of about 32,000 km in April 2029.

ESA shared on social network X that: "In case an asteroid is detected that poses a direct threat to Earth, missions such as Hera or Ramses will be urgently deployed. The main goal of these missions is to determine the orbit, size and composition of the strange object as quickly and accurately as possible. From there, we can make accurate assessments of the level of danger and plan timely responses, avoid false alarms and ensure the safety of our planet."

The mission will not only determine the asteroid’s orbit, but will also focus on measuring its physical properties in detail, ESA said. This information is extremely important because it will help scientists determine the exact time, location and intensity of the impact needed to safely and effectively deflect the asteroid, protecting Earth from the threat of collision.