# Europe's Hera spacecraft begins close inspections of an asteroid rammed by NASA in a 2022 test

Source: [Space News - Space, Astronomy, Space Exploration](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-europe-hera-spacecraft-asteroid-rammed.html) · 2026-11-12 · Space
Page: https://themorning.science/story/europe-s-hera-spacecraft-begins-close-inspections-of-an-asteroid-rammed-by-nasa-78e0ea5e00adfb20
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- A European Space Agency spacecraft, Hera, has begun close inspections of an asteroid.
- The asteroid was rammed by NASA in a 2022 planetary defense test.
- The source reports the inspections began four years after the 2022 impact.

## Why it matters

Close-up observations of an asteroid that was deliberately struck show how the impact changed its size, shape and orbit, which informs how future asteroid deflection missions are planned and judged.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-12: Hera begins close inspections of the asteroid rammed by NASA in 2022

## Coverage

- [Europe's Hera spacecraft begins close inspections of an asteroid rammed by NASA in a 2022 test](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-europe-hera-spacecraft-asteroid-rammed.html) — Space News - Space, Astronomy, Space Exploration, 2026-11-12

Tags: planetary defense, asteroids, esa, nasa, space missions, dart

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science