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Hera probe captures exceptional images of Mars and its moon Deimos
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The Hera probe, an international planetary defense mission, is on its way to study the Dimorphos asteroid, which will be hit by DART in 2022.
ISAE-SUPAERO is actively involved in this international planetary defense program through the research work of Naomi Murdoch and the SSPA team.
On its trajectory, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the probe made a close flyby of the planet Mars and its moon Deimos, capturing exceptional images.
Exceptional images of Mars and Deimos
On March 12, the Hera probe reached a key milestone in its mission with a close flyby of Mars. By exploiting the gravitational assistance of the Red Planet, it gained speed and adjusted its trajectory to continue its journey towards the Didymos binary system.
Although not essential to the main mission, this close encounter represents a valuable scientific opportunity. Several on-board instruments were activated to observe Mars and its moon Deimos, less than 1,000 km away.
Hera transmitted some exceptional images from the farthest reaches of space, and we asked our scientists involved in the Hera and Perseverance space missions to make a selection and comment on them.
Asteroid Framing Camera view of Mars
“In this Hera image, acquired with the Asteroid Framing Camera, we can see the geologically varied surface of Mars, including the icy poles and the distinct differences in the northern and Southern Hemisphere. Mars has a surprisingly complex environment, including a thin atmosphere containing clouds and sometimes even dust storms. At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are studying the atmosphere of Mars as part of the NASA Perseverance mission. As Hera flew past Mars, the Perseverance mission used its cameras and meteorological instruments to look up at the sky and help the interpretation of what Hera can see from orbit.”
Alexander Stott, researcher in the SSPA team at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-leader of NASA’s Perseverance atmospheric science working group.
Credits: ESA
To find out more about the work of ISAE-SUPAERO’s Space Systems in Planetology & Applications research group on the Perseverance mission: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/en/news/we-will-be-able-to-listen-to-the-first-sounds-of-the-planet-mars-thanks-to-the/
Mars and Deimos viewed by Hera’s TIRI
“Hera has a visible camera pair (AFC), a hyper spectral imager (HyperScout) and a thermal imager (TIRI) that will all be used to study the properties and features of the binary asteroid system. This image shows Deimos and Mars as seen by Hera’s thermal imager (TIRI). The images of Mars and Deimos will be used to cross calibrate the different instruments and allow the Hera team to prepare for the spacecraft’s arrival in the binary asteroid system (Didymos - Dimorphos) late next year. In the SSPA team, we have been analysing the NASA DART mission data since 2022, and are looking forward to studying the asteroids in more even detail with the Hera mission data.”
Alexia Duchêne, PhD student in the SSPA team at ISAE-SUPAERO and member of the Hera science team.
Credits: ESA/JAXA
To find out more about the work of ISAE-SUPAERO’s Space Systems in Planetology & Applications research group for the DART mission: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/en/news/dart-isae-supaero-students-publish-new-scientific-results-in-nature/
Mars and Deimos viewed by Hera’s Hyperscout H
“This image, taken with the Hera HyperScout instrument, shows Deimos - the smaller (12 km) of the two Martian Moons - passing directly in front of Mars. Deimos has a very dark surface compared to the surface of Mars. The Hera images of Deimos will contribute to our knowledge about these small bodies. Indeed, today we still don’t know where Mars’ Moons came from, or how they formed. This is a key scientific question that will be addressed by the upcoming Japanese Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. The French/German IDEFIX rover, part of the MMX mission, will even attempt to land and drive on the surface of Phobos (the larger Martian moon)! The Hera and MMX teams are working closely together to ensure that these images of the Martian Moons can provide as much information as possible to help the MMX mission preparations.”
Naomi Murdoch, planetary scientist in the SSPA team at ISAE-SUPAERO and member of the DART, Hera and MMX science teams.
Credits: ESA
To find out more about the work of ISAE-SUPAERO’s Space Systems in Planetology & Applications research group on the MMX (Martian Moon eXploration) mission: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/en/news/mmx-idefix-r-and-cameras-to-understand-the-mars-moon/
Mars and Deimos viewed by Hera’s Asteroid Framing Camera
“These Hera visible camera (Asteroid Framing Camera) images show the small (12 km), dark Martian moon - Deimos - passing in front of Mars. Hera took these images at a distance of about 1000 km from Deimos. We are actually at looking at a side of the Deimos that is rarely seen so we are observing parts of a planetary surface that have never been seen before. Behind Deimos, we can see the cratered surface of Mars. In the bottom right corner of the image the Hellas Basin can be seen; one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System - 2300 km wide and more than 7 km deep.”
Jeanne Bigot, PhD student in the SSPA team at ISAE-SUPAERO and member of the Hera and DART science team.
Credits: ESA
