ESA’s ‘planetary defence mission’ has startups dreaming of asteroid mining
NASA Space Technology Europe’s spacetech elite are making their final preparations for a groundbreaking meeting with an asteroid.A spacecraft called Hera — named after the Greek goddess of marriage — will make the rendezvous. The probe is slated for launch on October 7.If all goes well, Hera will then complete a detailed inspection of Dimorphos — a binary asteroid that’s also caught the eye of NASA.Back in 2022, the agency’s DART spacecraft deliberately smashed into Dimorphos. The collision contributed to a test of humanity’s planetary defences.NASA wants to prove that we could divert a giant space rock hurtling towards Earth — and avoid the same fate as...
