The European Space Agency (ESA) is getting ready to launch one of its most ambitious missions yet: the Hera mission. This mission will use two CubeSats to explore the interior of a near-Earth asteroid, and to demonstrate the feasibility of asteroid deflection. This mission is not only exciting for scientists, but for space enthusiasts as well - it will be the first time a CubeSat has been used to explore a space object! The mission will involve the CubeSats collecting data on the asteroid’s size, shape, mass, and structure. This data will then be used to create a detailed 3D model of the asteroid, and to help determine if it is suitable for a future asteroid deflection mission. The mission is expected to launch in late 2023, and will generate valuable insight into the world of asteroid exploration.

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source: Phys.org