ESA said on November 3, 2026, that Hera was due at the Didymos system during November. Orbinauts reported that ECP-1, the first proximity maneuver and start of early characterization, was scheduled for November 4 at 01:00 UTC. That schedule describes a planned milestone in Hera’s approach.
What Hera’s planned arrival means
ECP-1 is the mission’s first close approach to the asteroid pair and the start of its initial characterization. Orbinauts described the planned flight as a series of hyperbolic arcs, rather than insertion into a stable orbit. ESA’s November 3 science update placed the arrival within November.
What the braking sequence achieved
ESA confirmed that Hera’s two braking maneuvers succeeded, leaving the spacecraft moving at 20 m/s relative to Didymos and Dimorphos. That figure describes Hera’s motion relative to its target system. It follows the first braking maneuver covered in NeoTeo’s earlier report.
Orbinauts reported that the second burn, BRM-2, lasted about 31 minutes and reduced Hera’s relative speed by about 70 m/s from a distance of roughly 2,300 km. ESA’s first-light update confirms the combined outcome of the two braking maneuvers.
What Hera’s first view revealed
In its first image to resolve the two asteroids separately, Hera saw Didymos and Dimorphos from 1,280 km away. ESA reported that Dimorphos appeared about one pixel wide. The view established the pair’s separate positions; detailed study of Dimorphos’s shape and impact site is part of the mission’s planned survey.
What Hera and its CubeSats will investigate
NASA’s DART spacecraft struck Dimorphos on September 26, 2022. Hera will examine the impact site and investigate whether the collision left a crater or reshaped the asteroid, as well as its mass, composition, surface and interior. Other planned questions include whether debris remains nearby, whether Dimorphos is tumbling, and how strongly its material holds together. ESA describes that material strength as cohesion.
Hera’s two CubeSats have distinct jobs. Juventas will use radar to sound Dimorphos’s interior, with a planned spatial resolution of about 10 m. Milani will investigate its mineral composition. Together, these measurements are intended to improve understanding of how an asteroid responds to a kinetic impact and how much momentum escaping debris carries away. ESA’s mission overview describes the planned survey and the CubeSats’ roles.
