All missions
In cruiseDeep space
Hera
ESA · Launch: 7 Oct 2024
Planetary-defence mission heading to the Didymos–Dimorphos asteroid pair, the target hit by NASA's DART in 2022.
Objective: Measure the crater and mass of Dimorphos to turn DART's impact into a repeatable deflection technique.
Arrival at Didymos
Dec 2026
Target date · may change
Mission details
- Rocket & spacecraft
- Falcon 9
- Destination
- Didymos & its moonlet Dimorphos
- Duration
- ~6 months at the asteroids
- Carries two CubeSats, Milani and Juventas, that will try to land on Dimorphos.
- DART's 2022 impact shortened Dimorphos' orbit by about 33 minutes.
- Completes the first planetary-defence test in history.
Milestones
2 of 3 reachedLaunch
Oct 2024
Mars flyby
Mar 2025
Arrival at Didymos
Dec 2026Provisional
Future dates are agency targets, not confirmed schedules.
Curated dataset
Official source: ESA Hera →