LICANDRO , Javier

Context: Near-Earth asteroid 162173 (1999 JU3) is the primary target of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa-2 sample return mission, and is also on the list of potential targets for the European Space Agency (ESA) Marco Polo sample return mission. Earth-based studies of this object are fundamental to these missions. Aims:...

The binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos is the target for the two components of the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission. The NASA DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission is scheduled to impact the Didymos secondary during its apparition in 2022. ESA's proposed Hera mission will arrive years later to obtain in...