Hera resolves the pair it came to study

The first resolved view

ESA's Hera spacecraft resolved Didymos and Dimorphos separately in an image taken 18 October 2026. The pair was about 1,280 kilometres away. ESA reported the view on 27 October; Dimorphos appeared as a distinct, one-pixel object beside the larger asteroid.[1]

Closer, not yet close-up

The image followed two braking burns in October, which slowed Hera to about 20 metres per second relative to the asteroids. The spacecraft was still approaching; ESA scheduled detailed Dimorphos images for 25 November. This view separates the targets but does not show the impact site.[1]

A binary in weak gravity

Didymos is about 780 metres across; Dimorphos is about 151 metres wide and orbits it at an average distance of roughly 1.15 kilometres. ESA describes both surfaces as dark and the pair's gravity as extremely weak. The moonlet's gravity is estimated at about one two-hundred-thousandth of Earth's. Hera must navigate this weak-gravity environment during close operations and future landings.[2][3]

What the next phase can measure

DART hit Dimorphos in 2022, shortening its orbit around Didymos by about 33 minutes. Hera will inspect the surface to help explain the impact’s effects and improve understanding of asteroid deflection.[1]

ESA's mission page lists a November 2026 rendezvous, following Hera's launch on 7 October 2024. The spacecraft carries twelve payloads and two CubeSats for its close-up investigation.[3]

The one-pixel view is preliminary; ESA still had detailed images and close-up work ahead.[1]