Brake! Time for ESA’s Hera asteroid mission to go slow
Image: ESA
Launched two years ago today, the European Space Agency’s Hera mission for planetary defence has been hurtling away from Earth ever since. The small-car-sized spacecraft is now preparing for its single most challenging activity since lift-off: the sustained braking manoeuvres to slow it down to approach its target asteroids.
Summary by ESA, the primary source