“Deimos has not been observed before with Hera’s combination of science instruments, so hope to make some discoveries,” adds Patrick Michel. “We will also be observing in synergy with the Emirates Mars Mission ‘Hope Probe’, which launched in July 2020 and entered orbit around Mars in February 2021. Co-observations with ESA’s own Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter missions are also under consideration.

“Additionally, the imagery and data we gather will help with planning the Japanese-led Martian Moons eXploration mission, MMX, which is due to launch in 2026. MMX will survey both moons while also landing a small French-German rover on Phobos and acquiring samples to return to Earth.”