The Hera probe, launched by the European Space Agency (ESA), has sent back its first images of Earth and the moon as it begins its long journey toward the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system. The spacecraft, which successfully launched in October 2024, is a follow-up mission to NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which deliberately impacted Dimorphos in 2022. Hera’s task is to assess the aftermath of the collision and evaluate the feasibility of asteroid deflection as a method for protecting Earth from potential impacts. A Farewell Look at EarthThe newly released images were taken ju…