KÜPPERS , Michael

The impact of the NASA DART spacecraft on the 160 m-diameter natural satellite called Dimorphosof the binary asteroid 65803 Didymos on 26 September 2022 will change its orbital period aroundDidymos. The change can be detected by Earth-based observers. Before impact, DART will deploy the Italian LICIACube that willprovide images of the first...

The Chelyabinsk meteorite is a highly shocked, low porosity, ordinary chondrite, probably similar to S-or Q-type asteroids. Therefore, nanoindentation experiments on this meteorite allow us to obtain key data to understand the physical properties of near-Earth asteroids. Tests at different length scales provide information about the local...

Hera provides a robust and cost-effective means to perform a planetary defense validation test with a solid balance between risk and innovation. In the frame of the AIDA collaboration, Hera contributes to a truly international planetary defense initiative. It will bring completely new knowledge and insights on asteroid science that will be of...

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is a Planetary Defense mission, designed to demonstrate the kinetic impactor technique on (65803) Didymos I Dimorphos, the secondary of the (65803) Didymos system. DART has four level 1 requirements to meet in order to declare mission success: (1) impact Dimorphos between 2022 September 25 and October...

The Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission is a joint cooperation between European and US space agencies that consists of two separate and independent spacecraft that will be launched to a binary asteroid system, the near-Earth asteroid Didymos, to test the kinetic impactor technique to deflect an asteroid. The European Asteroid...