The Hera probe, which will study the asteroid Dimorphos, took off on Monday October 7 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher, according to a live broadcast from the European Space Agency (ESA).
The mission is due to arrive at the end of 2026 near this asteroid, hit two years ago by a NASA vessel to deviate its trajectory during an unprecedented test of “planetary defense”.
Nestled in the fairing of a Falcon 9, the ESA probe took off at 10:52 a.m. local time (4:52 p.m. Paris time). The launch was preceded by several days of uncertainty. SpaceX, whose Falcon 9 had encountered an anomaly on its previous flight, only obtained the green light from the American authorities on Sunday. And the weather conditions were uncertain as Hurricane Milton approached the coast of Florida (southeast United States).
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Science fiction scenario
Milton, which strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane on Monday, has already led to the postponement of the launch, initially scheduled for next Thursday, of a NASA mission, Europa Clipper, which is to study an icy moon of Jupiter to find out if its underground ocean can support life.
The Hera probe must meet Dimorphos, a small body only 160 meters in diameter, which is the moon of a larger asteroid, Didymos.
In 2022, in a scenario worthy of a science fiction novel, a NASA ship deliberately crashed on its surface. The objective of this unique test of “planetary defense” was to evaluate whether it was possible to deviate its trajectory and use this technique if, in the future, an asteroid threatened to hit Earth.
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