European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera probe capturing images of Mars' moon Deimos. The Hera mission, led by ESA, is primarily designed to study the Didymos asteroid system, particularly after NASA’s DART mission impacted its moonlet Dimorphos in 2022 to test asteroid deflection. However, on its journey, Hera has opportunities to observe other celestial bodies. Deimos, one of Mars' two small moons (the other being Phobos), is an irregularly shaped, rocky object about 15 kilometers across, with a heavily cratered surface. On March 13, 2025, Hera likely made a flyby or distant observation of Deimos, using its cameras to capture detailed images—perhaps as a calibration exercise or a bonus science opportunity.
Here's a breakdown of what's happening:
- Hera's Mission:
- The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission is primarily focused on planetary defense. Its main objective is to gather detailed information about the asteroid Dimorphos, the target of NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission.
- To reach its destination, Hera performed a gravity assist maneuver by flying past Mars.
- Mars Flyby and Deimos:
- During this flyby on March 12, 2025, Hera took the opportunity to test its scientific instruments.
- A key highlight was the probe's imaging of Deimos, one of Mars's two moons.
- The Hera spacecraft was able to capture very good images of Deimos.
- The Hyperscout H hyperspectral imager, was used to capture images in near infrared light, giving scientist more data about the composition of Deimos.
- Significance:
- These observations provide valuable data about Deimos, a relatively small and mysterious moon.
- The images captured by Hera offer a rare close-up view of Deimos, contributing to our understanding of its composition and origin.
- This test of the Hera probes equipment, is a very important step in the mission.
In essence, while en route to study an asteroid, the Hera probe took advantage of a Mars flyby to capture significant images of Deimos, providing valuable scientific data.