{
  "id": 18091962,
  "title": "Elche technology travels 197 million kilometres to help protect Earth from asteroids",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/elche-technology-travels-197-million-kilometres-to-help-protect-earth",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-04T08:35:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euro Weekly News",
    "slug": "euro-weekly-news",
    "url": "https://euroweeklynews.com/2026/11/04/elche-technology-travels-197-million-kilometres-to-help-protect-earth-from-asteroids/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Minister Diana Morant commends the importance of EMXYS, a company based in Elche, as a key player in the space sector. The small city has contributed significantly to a mission that could one day safeguard Earth from a hazardous asteroid. EMXYS played an essential role in the equipment on the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, whose objective is to investigate the possibility of redirecting potentially dangerous space rocks.\n\nThe Hera mission, spanning two years, has now reached a pair of asteroids, with the smaller one, Dimorphos, being deliberately impacted by a NASA spacecraft in 2022. This collision was part of a crucial test to determine whether humans could alter the path of an asteroid. The impact successfully changed the asteroid's orbit, demonstrating the potential of deliberately crashing a spacecraft into a space rock to modify its trajectory.\n\nEMXYS has contributed to creating a highly sensitive piece of equipment that will be deployed to the asteroid's surface. This device will measure the minimal gravitational force exerted on Dimorphos, providing valuable insights into the asteroid's composition and the aftermath of NASA's collision. The data collected can prove crucial if a threatening asteroid ever needs to be redirected away from Earth. By studying Dimorphos following the intentional impact, scientists can gather more information about how the asteroid responded, which could offer valuable lessons for future attempts to change the path of a potentially dangerous object.\n\nDespite the mission's immense distance, the technology developed in Elche is now millions of kilometres away, assisting scientists in answering one of humanity's most significant questions: how can we protect our planet if a dangerous asteroid ever threatens our existence? For Elche, the Hera mission serves as a remarkable example of locally developed technology contributing to an international space project with global significance.",
  "summary": "A little piece of Elche has travelled an incredible 197 million kilometres into space on a mission that could one […]",
  "key_points": [
    "EMXYS, an Elche-based company, crucial to European Space Agency’s Hera mission",
    "Hera mission reaches asteroids Dimorphos and Didymos, tests asteroid deflection",
    "Elche technology measures asteroid’s gravitational force to protect Earth"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The deployment of Elche-developed sensors on the Hera mission elevates local Spanish technology to a critical role in the international effort to develop planetary defense strategies against asteroid impacts.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}