It is expected that at 22:52 Beijing time (10:52 EDT on October 7, 2024), the "Hera" asteroid probe will be launched by the "Falcon 9" launch vehicle at the SLC-40 station of Cape Canaveral Space Force Base off the coast of Florida in southeastern United States, and the satellite is planned to be launched into heliocentric orbit
Orbit + landing, the world's first detailed mission of a double asteroid system
Hera asteroid probe
Hera is the first asteroid exploration mission by the European Space Agency (ESA), the first under ESA's Space Safety programme, and the world's first detailed survey of a double asteroid. The mission, a sister mission to United States' (NASA) DART asteroid impact mission, will conduct detailed probing of the smaller Dimorphos asteroid in the Didymos binary asteroid system after DART to assess the effectiveness of the impact in deflecting the asteroid's orbit and help translate the experiment into an easy-to-understand and repeatable planetary defense technology.
Schematic diagram of the payload of the Hera probe and the position of the CubeSat
“赫拉”小行星探测器主体为立方形结构，主体长、宽、高均约为1.6米，配备一对太阳能电池板，展开状态翼展11.6米，发动机采用肼燃料双组元推进剂，发射质量1081千克 。 该探测器搭载了12套有效载荷，其中主航天器上8套，包括（A）2台小行星取景相机（Asteroid Framing Camera, AFC），配备可见光相机；（B）热红外成像仪（Thermal Infrared Imager, TIRI）；（C）2台星敏感器（Startrackers）；（D）高光谱成像仪（HyperScout H）；（F）激光测距仪（Laser Rangefinder）；（G）航天器监测相机（Spacecraft Monitoring Camera, SMC）；（H）2台卫星间通信链路设备（Inter-satellite links）；（I）低增益天线（Low Gain Antenna）。
"米拉尼"(Milani)光学遥感卫星
同时，“赫拉”探测器还搭载了2颗立方体卫星，分别为（E2）“尤瑞特斯”（Juventas）雷达遥感卫星和（E1）“米拉尼”（Milani）光学遥感卫星。 “尤瑞特斯”有效载荷包括“尤瑞特斯”雷达（Juventas Radar，JuRa）、太阳系小型天体重力仪（Gravimeter for Small Solar System , GRASS），“米拉尼”有效载荷为小行星光谱成像仪（Asteroid Spectral Imager，ASPECT）、挥发性原位重力分析仪（Volatile In-Situ Thermogravimetre Analyser，VISTA），2颗搭载星安装了4套主要有效载荷。
After the launch of Hera, a two-year cruising phase will begin. Hera will make its first deep-space maneuver in November 2024 and fly by Mars in March 2025, where it will be a rare and exciting sight of the Martian moon Deimos. In February 2026, Hera will perform its second deep-space maneuver in preparation for the arrival of the Didymos binary system. In October 2026, Hera will perform an impulsive rendezvous to enter the vicinity of the asteroid system for orbital insertion.
Hera will orbit the center of mass of the double asteroid system. During the mission, the probe will map the shape of the Dimorphos DART impact crater to gather unique information for future asteroid deflection missions. Finally, "Hera" will land on the surface of "Didimos". The mission will reveal the surface properties and internal structure of the asteroid.
Schematic diagram of the "Hera" asteroid probe (above)
The carrier satellite will first orbit Didymos, a larger asteroid with a diameter of 780 meters in diameter in the double asteroid system, in order to conduct radar detection of the smaller asteroid Dimorphos, which is 160 meters long, before switching to orbiting Dimorphos and eventually landing on the surface of the asteroid. The Millani will first orbit the Didymos system and will eventually land on the Dimorphos surface for a positioning probe.
Falcon Nine depleted one level of vigorous delivery
Falcon 9 is a large cryogenic liquid launch vehicle developed by SpaceX. The rocket is a partially reusable launch vehicle, and the first stage can be reused multiple times, supporting recovery under the route and return to the field. The arrow adopts a two-stage tandem configuration, and the main power adopts the "Merlin" series liquid oxygen kerosene engine, which can be started multiple times, supports deep variable thrust, and the first stage realizes power redundancy through 9 rounds in parallel to improve the reliability of the mission.
The Falcon 9 is currently in use as the V1.2 Block 5, which is 70 meters high, has a body diameter of 3.7 meters, a take-off mass of 549 tons, and a standard Earth-Fire Transfer Orbit (TMI) capacity of 4.02 tons. This rocket uses the 23rd flight of the first stage B1061.23, in order to provide sufficient speed increment for the probe, the first stage will not be recovered, and the propellant will be directly exhausted. This is the first time that Falcon 9 has not been recovered during a deep space mission.
This mission will be this year's Falcon series rocket and the world's first planetary exploration mission.
Author: Mulan Xingzhou