# @europeanspaceagency on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DHN55q4tqUY
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35582208-europeanspaceagency-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/98124f67d0.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-03-15T10:50:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** J.L.Lopez (@xandler80) — https://gondola.cc/xandler80

## Caption

Hello Mars, hello Deimos! 🔴🪨

During its gravity-assist flyby of Mars, our Hera mission for planetary defence turned its instruments towards the red planet and its mysterious moon, Deimos! 

Hera is on a mission to study Dimorphos, the first asteroid to have its orbit altered by human action, but on 12 March 2025, it made a special pit stop at Mars. Passing just 5000 km from the planet, it used Mars’s gravity to slingshot towards its final destination—saving time and fuel along the way.

But that’s not all! As Hera zoomed past at 9 km/s, its instruments got to work:

1. Asteroid Framing Camera (visible light, from dlr.en): Captured rare views of Deimos against Mars.

2. Hyperscout H (hyperspectral imager): Revealed surface materials in wavelengths beyond human vision.

3. Thermal Infrared Imager (TIRI, from jaxajp): Showed Deimos glowing hotter than Mars, thanks to its dark, heat-absorbing surface!

At just 12.4 km across, Deimos could be a captured asteroid or a leftover from a giant impact—but we still don’t know for sure! These new observations will help unlock its origins and even guide future missions like JAXA’s MMX, which will land on its sibling moon Phobos and bring a sample back to Earth.

This flyby was just the beginning. In 21 months, Hera will arrive at Dimorphos, where it will conduct the first close-up investigation of an asteroid that has had its orbit changed by human action. By turning planetary defence into a tested and repeatable strategy, Hera is helping us prepare for any future threats from space—because when it comes to protecting our planet, knowledge is our best defence.

Swipe through the carousel to see Deimos through Hera’s eyes.

📹 ESA/JAXA
📸 ESA
📸 ESA
📸 ESA/JAXA

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 15,030
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- **Comments:** 68

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ESA - European Space Agency | @europeanspaceagency | https://gondola.cc/europeanspaceagency | Government Organization |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Producer |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Editor |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Social Media Manager |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Publisher |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Copywriter |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Community Manager |

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