Hera departing Earth

ESA's Hera planetary defence spacecraft lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA, on 7 October at 10:52 local time (16:52 CEST, 14:52 UTC) with its solar arrays deploying about one hour later. This launch put Hera on a direct departure trajectory away from Earth, beginning its two-year cruise phase.