Space.com reported on October 14, 2026, that Hera’s first arrival maneuver was scheduled for October 15. The European Space Agency (ESA) lists the spacecraft’s rendezvous with the Didymos–Dimorphos asteroid system for November 2026, a later milestone in the approach. Space.com reported the October schedule, while ESA’s mission page lists the November rendezvous.
The reported approach has three planned braking maneuvers. Space.com expected Hera to come within about 30 kilometers (20 miles) of the asteroids in early November and begin initial science observations.
| Approach milestone | Scheduled timing | Planned operation |
| First arrival maneuver | October 15, 2026 | First of three planned braking maneuvers |
| Close approach | Early November 2026 | Come within about 30 kilometers (20 miles) and begin early science observations |
| Rendezvous | November 2026 | ESA-listed rendezvous with the Didymos–Dimorphos system |
What Hera will investigate after DART
NASA’s DART spacecraft struck Dimorphos on September 26, 2022. Space.com reported that the impact shortened Dimorphos’s orbit around Didymos by about 33 minutes. Hera’s planned survey will map the asteroids, examine the impact crater and search for possible DART debris. The mission is intended to clarify questions such as the crater’s size, whether the impact shifted boulders or set Dimorphos tumbling, and whether material moved between the two bodies. Space.com’s report covers the impact and planned investigation.
Cristina Thomas, a planetary astronomer at Northern Arizona University, told Space.com that Dimorphos’s orbital period was still changing six months after the impact, for reasons that scientists did not yet understand. That evolving measurement is one reason a close survey matters: Hera is designed to examine the physical aftermath, not just the change in orbit. The team does not expect to find intact DART spacecraft fragments.
Milani and Juventas will study different parts of Dimorphos
Hera will carry two CubeSats—small spacecraft that can work alongside a larger mission. Milani is assigned to study the composition of material on and around Dimorphos. Juventas will use radar to investigate the asteroid’s interior. ESA’s English-language animation depicts the planned close-up investigation and the CubeSats’ separation from Hera.
How the mission is planned to end
After their scientific work, Milani and Juventas are planned to make soft landings on Dimorphos, while Hera’s mission is planned to end with a descent onto Didymos. ESA describes the planned operations for Hera and the CubeSats’ planned landings. A landing near one of Didymos’s poles is under consideration.
