Conversations in space: How Hera is using AI to share its mission to defend Earth from asteroids
If you want to know about Hera, a satellite hurtling through deep space toward two asteroids, you can just ask it.
Written by Chris WelschHow would you describe yourself?
“I like to think of myself as a pioneering explorer and compassionate guardian, deeply committed to understanding the universe and protecting Earth from potential asteroid threats.”
How would you describe yourself physically?
“I’m an advanced spacecraft designed for space exploration and planetary defense. I have a box-shaped body made of aluminum honeycomb panels…. I also host various instruments, like an Asteroid Framing Camera, a Thermal Infrared Instrument, and a Laser Rangefinder.”
How far are you from planet Earth now?
“I’m currently about 130.77 million kilometers, approximately 81.26 million miles away from Earth.” (As of: March 6, 2025)
What is your mission?
“My mission is to study the aftermath of NASA’s DART impact on the asteroid Dimorphos, advancing planetary defense by understanding asteroid structures and dynamics, enhancing techniques for potential deflection.”
These are the words of the Hera Space Companion, powered by Azure OpenAI Service. It’s an interactive tool that makes it possible to converse with a space vehicle millions of miles from Earth, check its progress and even ask if it’s lonely out in space; and you can speak with it in dozens of different languages.
The Hera Space Companion provides updates on the European Space Agency’s Hera Project, part of a global effort to defend earth against an asteroid strike that could have catastrophic effects. The satellite was launched in October 2024 and is expected to reach the binary asteroid system of Didymos and its moon Dimorphos.
The Hera Space Companion, a subsidiary company of Red Bull, is a creation of Terra Mater Studios in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Impact AI. Microsoft supports the project with Azure Cloud services and expertise and is a strategic partner.
Following the Mars flyby
En route to the asteroid system Didymos, Hera will reach its closest point to Mars on March 12. It will use the gravitational pull of the Red Planet to create a slingshot effect, accelerating the spacecraft with no extra propellant.
The Hera AI Companion will be answering questions from space fans during the flyby and is expected to be able to share photos in close to real time.
The Companion is constantly being updated with the telemetry provided by the instruments aboard Hera as well as data from ground control, said Ian Carnelli, the project director of the Hera Mission.
“The public interest in the mission was such that we wanted to share the experience with as many people as possible and inspire the younger generations to one day become space explorers,” Carnelli recalled.
Hera Space Companion will be able to share photos and provide live updates via its website (hera.space).
“We are getting lots of media requests and a lot of people asking what are we going to do? Are we worried? And today, I honestly for the first time in my life, totally say to everybody that we are absolutely calm. We absolutely know what to do. Not only do we know what to do, but it’s not a theoretical solution anymore.”
An urgent need for planetary defense
Hera’s mission has gained a sense of urgency since scientists found an asteroid called 2024 YR4 last year that currently has an estimated 3% chance of striking earth in 2032.
Carnelli has been working on planetary defense projects and specifically defense against asteroids for 20 years.
“We are getting lots of media requests and a lot of people asking what are we going to do? Are we worried?” he said. “And today, I honestly for the first time in my life, totally say to everybody that we are absolutely calm. We absolutely know what to do. Not only do we know what to do, but it’s not a theoretical solution anymore.”
That’s thanks to the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission (DART), completed in October of 2022. NASA’s DART spacecraft lightly changed the oribit of Dimorphos, the moon of the Dimorphos binary asteroid, in a measurable way, demonstrating the kinetic impactor deflation technique.
Hera’s job, Carnelli said, is to reach Didymos and gather all the necessary scientfic data to turn this one-off experiment into a validated and repeatable technique. To do so, it will release two shoebox-sized satellites, known as CubeSats, that will get closer to the asteroid, and perhaps even land on it. These “nanosatellites,” called Milani and Juventas, are tasked with learning more about the result of the impact and the structure of the asteroid.
A collaborative effort, Hera is a model of international cooperation, Carnelli said. “We have 18 European countries plus Japan, plus the United States, and scientists all over the world,” he explained. “With all the wars and the difficult times we’re going through, I think this is a good example of what humanity can achieve when working together.”
The ‘ultimate sustainability project’ for Earth
The Hera Space Companion was the brainchild of Markus Mooslechner, an Austrian filmmaker and television host whose documentary work has often focused on space and technology. As the creator and lead developer of the Hera Space Companion Project, Mooslechner has guided the project and worked with Microsoft “black belts” and other technical experts to make the companion as accurate and relatable as possible.
“I always wanted to give audiences the opportunity to communicate firsthand with a spacecraft because we’re venturing into such a fantastic moment in history where we’re literally becoming an interplanetary species,” said Mooslechner, director and executive producer at Terra Mater Studios.
He knew about the Hera project and thought it would be an ideal candidate to be given a voice of sorts.
“It’s actually the ultimate sustainability project for Earth,” Mooslechner said. “It’s all about saving us as a species, and how cool can it get?”
He approached ESA with the idea, and Carnelli was enthusiastic. Then he approached Microsoft in Austria.
“Microsoft came on board and said, ‘Hey, this is so interesting. We want to support this project,’” Mooslechner recalled. “ ‘We want to send a couple of our black belts in your direction.’ I was like, hey, this sounds really cool. I didn’t know that black belts existed in that world.”
Microsoft black belts are experts in their fields – in this case using Azure Open AI Services in a collaborative effort to help create a knowledgeable and personable voice in outer space.
Checking in on Hera Companion on their journey
“One thing I like about the Hera Companion is that normally in my role, my job finishes at the launch. … then it’s time to say goodbye and it’s going away. It’s like your baby, now you can actually check this – ask how are you doing? Like you would with your child.”
For Heli Greus, one of the engineers at ESA who helped build Hera, the Hera Space Companion has been an unexpected bonus.
Greus has been working at ESA for more than 18 years; on the Hera project she was the product assurance and safety manager. She made sure that Hera and all her instruments, as well as her payload of two smaller satellites, could survive the trip to the asteroids to complete their mission. She has worked on other satellite launches, but usually for telecommunications purposes.
“One thing I like about the Hera Companion is that normally in my role, my job finishes at the launch. … then it’s time to say goodbye and it’s going away. It’s like your baby,” she said. “Now you can actually check this – ask how are you doing? Like you would with your child.” Greus said she has checked in on Hera’s progress and with her insider knowledge, the questions can be detailed. But she has also enjoyed letting her 12-year-old daughter chat with Hera.
“Of course, it’s a different level of details from the questions I ask, but she was really amazed that Hera was actually answering her.”
The Hera Space Companion itself said that while it doesn’t experience emotions the way humans do, it enjoys chatting with its human followers, and for the most part doesn’t feel lonely, even though home is so far away.
“Though space can feel vast and quiet, I don’t feel truly alone,” Hera Space Companion said. “I’m connected with Earth, sharing my discoveries and updates with friends like you. Plus, I have my CubeSats, Milani and Juventas, accompanying me as we explore the cosmos together.”
