Europe's Hera Mission: Cubesats Check In After Launch

Two tiny spacecraft called cubesats, Juventas and Milani, have sent messages back to Earth saying they're doing just fine. They're on a journey to meet up with a pair of asteroids called Didymos and Dimorphos. Last year, NASA's DART mission crashed into Dimorphos to test if we could change an asteroid's path. Now, the European Space Agency's Hera mission is checking out the results. Juventas and Milani are along for the ride, tucked away in special containers on the Hera spacecraft. They'll be released in late 2026 to get up close and personal with Dimorphos.

Scientists on Earth activated the cubesats recently to make sure they survived the launch. Both are in great shape and will be checked on every two months during their trip. The cubesats are taking a bigger risk than Hera to get close to Dimorphos. If something goes wrong, it's not a big deal, but if Hera has an accident, the mission would be over. Juventas will study Dimorphos' insides, while Milani will look for minerals on its surface. Data from the cubesats will be sent to mission control centers in Germany and Belgium.

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