The European Space Agency ESA and NASA will exchange information by holding a meeting on the AIDA (Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment) in Rome, Italy, in the second week of September in preparation for the risk of an asteroid impacting the Earth.
This is in conjunction with NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Impact Test) project, which attempts to change the asteroid orbit by colliding a spacecraft when an asteroid approaching into orbit colliding with Earth is discovered. It aims to change the trajectory of Morse B.
The DART project launches a spacecraft in the summer of 2021, hitting Didimos at 6.6 km/s. Didimos has a small mass and gravity, and its satellites rotate slowly at a speed of only a few centimeters per second. Therefore, it is expected that a measurable change will be observed in orbit by conducting a collision test on this small satellite.
In addition, the DART spacecraft separates ASI’s Cubesat LICIA before collision. LICIA observes the moment of impact and captures images of craters formed in Didimos.
In 2024, ESA launches the probe Hera to measure the mass of the asteroid and detailed crater shape. In addition, Hera separates a pair of Cubesats for detailed investigation of the asteroid and the first radar exploration. It takes two years for Hera to arrive at Didimos.
There is a big difference between such a crash test and a crisis situation where something like the asteroid 2019 OK, which passed just 72,000 kilometers from Earth the day after it was discovered on July 24, could happen in reality. Didimos is 780m in diameter, but the satellite is only about 160m. Nevertheless, hitting the Earth can cause quite serious damage.
It is now slowly experimenting with asteroids, but in the future, it could be an important step for building a space defense system and could develop into a technology to save future humans. ESA is also releasing the Hera Mission video. Brian May, the legendary guitarist and astronomer of the British rock band Queen, explains the mission. He says he is also deeply involved in Asteroid Day, an annual event that contemplates the risk of asteroid impact. Related information can be found here .