Spacecraft Launches Toward Asteroid Knocked Off Course By NASA

The Hera spacecraft, launched by the European Space Agency on Monday, is on a mission to study the aftermath of NASA's 2022 test that successfully knocked the Dimorphos asteroid off course by intentionally crashing a probe into it. It's scheduled to arrive in December 2026. The BBC reports: The Hera craft launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 10:52 local time (15:52BST) on Monday. [...] The Hera mission, which is run by the European Space Agency, is a follow-on from Nasa's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) project. Dimorphos is a small moon 160m-wide that orbits an asteroid close to Earth called Didymos in something called a binary asteroid system. In 2022 Nasa said it successfully changed Dimorphos's course by crashing a probe into it. It altered the rock's path by a few meters, according to Nasa's scientists. The asteroid was not on course to hit Earth, but it was a test to see whether space agencies could do it when there is genuine risk. When it arrives in two years, the Hera craft will look at the size and depth of the impact crater created on Dimorphos. Two cube-shaped probes will also study the make-up of the asteroid and its mass.

They want to put it back to original orbit?

[kaur]

ESA is doing clean-up work for NASA, and EU is demoted to a role of a space janitor.

Re:

[gtall]

Hardly. It is ESA and NASA working together to leverage each other's strengths.

So Falcon 9 got un-grounded?

[Ken_g6]

Wikipedia says this launched on Falcon 9. Falcon 9 got grounded a few days ago due to issues with the second stage on the last ISS launch. I'm guessing that got resolved? Any further issues this launch?

Re:So Falcon 9 got un-grounded?

[Firethorn]

Reading, the launch was through NASA, technically a NASA mission. The FAA, the grounding authority, turns out to not have the power to ground the missions of other government departments.
So a commercial satellite launch would have to wait on the FAA ungrounding the rocket system, but NASA and the DoD can go 'we accept the risk' and launch anyways.
I personally think the FAA has been told to mess with SpaceX and slow them down. Not a good idea with China breathing down our necks.

Re:

[Cpt_Kirks]

Actually, I think SpaceX grounded the 9 for a couple of days, not the FAA.

Kilimanjaro

[etnoy]

Sir: Now let me fill you in. I'm leading this expedition and we're going to climb both peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro. Bob: I thought there was only one peak, sir. Sir: Well, that'll save a bit of time. Well done. Now the object of this expedition is to see if we can find any traces of last year's expedition. Bob: Last year's expedition? Sir: Yes, my brother was leading that, they were going to build a bridge between the two peaks. My idea I'm afraid.

Re:

[Cpt_Kirks]

Cover your eye.

Why NASA knocked spacecraft off course?

[sinij]

Probably pick better story title.