Space.com
• Meghan Bartels
Four years after NASA’s DART spacecraft deliberately struck an asteroid, Europe’s Hera probe is arriving to examine the collision site. The mission is intended to establish what the first-of-its-kind impact accomplished, providing a closer look at the consequences of the test.
ESA
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Four years after NASA’s DART spacecraft deliberately struck an asteroid, Europe’s Hera probe is arriving to examine the collision site. The mission is intended to establish what the first-of-its-kind impact accomplished, providing a closer look at the consequences of the test.
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The European Space Agency has selected CryoRad as one of three finalists in its Earth Explorer program, which develops scientific satellites to test new Earth-observation techniques. A separate report says ESA selected Planet subsidiary Sinergise to develop a satellite-based disaster-response system for Slovenia, initially focused on wildfire management.
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The Martian Moons eXploration mission is scheduled to launch aboard an H3 rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 04:41 JST on Oct. 20, 2026. MMX is designed to collect material from Mars’ moon Phobos and return it to Earth, a first for a mission to a Martian moon.
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Representatives of several European national space agencies have expressed support for plans by the European Space Agency to develop a human spaceflight capability. The report signals backing among member states, but provides no details on the proposed capability, timetable, funding or participating agencies.
Teams behind the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes have released new images capturing stellar nurseries, galaxies and gravitational lensing. Webb is jointly operated by NASA and the European Space Agency, with the Canadian Space Agency also participating; both observatories contributed to the latest collection.
European Space Agency member governments will meet in Rome on Dec. 15 to discuss investment in a program that would use European hardware to carry astronauts to and from orbit. Securing the one-day meeting is itself a step for Director-General Josef Aschbacher, but the gathering is not expected to produce a financing decision.
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