How do we know if a spacecraft can survive the harsh reality of space?

Before the Hera mission heads to the Didymos asteroid system, it must endure rigorous testing at Europe's largest satellite facility. This video details how engineers simulate the extreme conditions of launch and spaceflight to ensure the spacecraft and its two CubeSats are ready for their planetary defense mission.

The Hera mission is designed to investigate Didymos, a double asteroid system representative of the thousands that could potentially impact Earth. To prepare for this, the spacecraft carries two specialized CubeSats: Milani, which acts as a rock decoder, and Juventas, which serves as a radar visionary.

At the ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands, Hera undergoes a comprehensive series of trials to prove its durability. These tests replicate the intense environments of space, including extreme temperature fluctuations, vacuum conditions, and the mechanical stresses of vibration and noise encountered during launch.

Source: Testing times | The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission