Hera spacecraft resolves Didymos binary asteroids for first time
The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft has resolved its target asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos separately for the first time, using its Asteroid Framing Camera on 18 October at a distance of 1280 km from the asteroid pair. Dimorphos, which is approximately 151 m across, had not been visible separately before this image. Hera's braking maneuvers earlier in October slowed the spacecraft to 20 m/s relative to the asteroids, allowing closer approach. The mission will conduct a detailed investigation of Dimorphos, which had its orbit measurably shifted by NASA's DART spacecraft impact in September 2022.
