OHB technology to protect our planet: Asteroid probe Hera is fit for space

Bremen / Cape Canaveral, 2 October 2024 - The countdown is on, with just a few days to go until the planned launch of the European Space Agency’s Hera mission. The lift-off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Florida/USA is scheduled not earlier then October 7, when the launch window for this extraordinary mission opens: Hera is to be launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket to make its way to a double asteroid system. The launch of the mission is eagerly awaited by the international planetary defence community. OHB System AG, a subsidiary of the space and technology group OHB SE, has developed, built, and tested the asteroid probe on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) and is currently on site in Florida with a team of around 20 people preparing Hera for the launch.

“Together with our partners and customers, we are looking forward to this exciting mission and are proud that OHB technology is used to enhance asteroid research to better protect our planet in the long term. I am already curious about the images Hera will send from the asteroid,’ says OHB CEO Marco Fuchs.

Looking back: On 26 September 2022, NASA crashed their DART spacecraft into Dimorphos, the smaller body of the double-asteroid Didymos system. The kinetic impact of this ‘double asteroid redirection test‘, changed the orbit of the small asteroid moon. For the first time in history, humankind had successfully deflected a celestial body from its orbit. But there are still many questions that ESA’s Hera hopes to answer. How did the asteroid react to the impact? Is there a crater? Or has the asteroid been completely reshaped? What is the precise mass of Dimorphos? And how much material was ejected into space during the impact? These are just some of the questions that it aims to answer starting upon arrival at the asteroid pair in two years' time. The probe carries eleven instruments and supports a radio science experiment. One of the highlights of the mission will be the deployment of two CubeSats in deep space. These shoebox-sized mini-satellites, 'Juventas' and 'Milani', will contribute to the investigation of the properties of Dimorphos. They will land on the asteroid at the end of their mission.  The Hera mission will also be used to demonstrate new technologies in deep space, including e.g. autonomous vision-based navigation as well as guidance and control.

In Florida all preparations and tests for the ride into space are currently proceeding according to plan. The spacecraft has been fueled and put into flight mode. The encapsulation will take place this week, where the fairing will be fitted, so that Hera is well protected at the top of the rocket. Flight operations have already been intensely exercised in numerous tests, together with mission control teams at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. “Our spacecraft has passed all the tests and activities during the launch preparations with flying colors, and our team here at Cape Canaveral has shown great commitment. Hera has now been handed over to the SpaceX specialists for its assembly on the launch vehicle and are working intensively to prepare for launch day. I would like to thank ESA and all our partners for their excellent cooperation. One of the biggest challenges of this mission has been the tight schedule. Getting a spacecraft and all its instruments ready for launch in just four years is the result of a unique team effort," says Dr Stefan Voegt, Hera project manager at OHB.
Around 100 European companies and institutes across 18 ESA member states have been involved in making Hera happen. OHB System AG led the industrial consortium, including responsibility for the overall spacecraft design, development, assembly and testing.

More information and details about the mission, the probe and its instruments can be found found via www.esa.int/hera and in the

Event note:  ESA and all its partners will celebrate the launch of the Hera mission with a public, open-air event at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt. ESA will also produce a live webcast from ESOC via ESA WebTV on launch day from about 16:15 CEST