The European Space Agency is asking the public to name the cartoon dinosaur that serves as the mascot for its Hera asteroid mission, a planetary defence effort designed to study the aftermath of a deliberate asteroid impact. The winning entry will earn its submitter a place at the mission's arrival celebration in November, according to the agency.
The choice of a dinosaur is deliberate. Dinosaurs were wiped out after an asteroid struck Earth, but they had no space agency to defend them. Humans do, and Hera is part of that effort. The mascot is meant to draw attention to the mission's goal: understanding how a spacecraft can alter the path of an asteroid.
Hera is the European Space Agency's contribution to an international planetary defence experiment. The mission will travel to a binary asteroid system to examine the results of a previous impact test. By studying the crater and the asteroid's altered orbit, scientists hope to learn how effectively a kinetic impact can deflect a hazardous space rock.
The naming contest is open now, and the agency is accepting suggestions from the public. The winner will be invited to the Hera arrival celebration in November, where the spacecraft is expected to reach its target. That event will mark a key milestone for the mission and for planetary defence research.
The mascot, a friendly cartoon dinosaur, has already become a recognizable symbol for the mission. Its presence in outreach materials reflects the agency's broader push to engage the public in space science and planetary safety. The contest gives people a direct way to participate in a mission that could one day help protect the planet.
Planetary defence has gained prominence as more near-Earth objects are discovered. While no known asteroid currently poses a threat, the ability to deflect one is considered a long-term insurance policy for civilization. Hera's data will help refine models of how such deflections work in practice.
The November celebration will likely include mission updates and details about the spacecraft's arrival at the asteroid. For the contest winner, it offers a rare chance to be part of a space mission's public face. The agency has not announced a deadline for submissions, but interested participants are encouraged to submit their ideas soon.
Details about how to enter and what names are eligible can be found through the agency's official channels. The contest is open to the public, and the agency will select the winning name from the entries. The chosen name will then be used in future outreach and educational materials for the Hera mission.
The Hera mission itself is a follow-up to an earlier impact test that successfully changed the orbit of a small asteroid moon. By arriving at the scene, Hera will provide the first detailed measurements of the aftermath. That information is critical for turning a one-time experiment into a repeatable method of planetary defence.
For the European Space Agency, the mascot contest is also a way to humanize a complex technical mission. A cartoon dinosaur may seem lighthearted, but it carries a serious message: asteroids have shaped life on Earth before, and this time humans have the tools to respond. The public is now invited to give that message a name.
