The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft has obtained its first image of the Dimorphos asteroid, a smaller body in the Didymos binary system. The image was captured on October 18 from a distance of 795 miles (1280 kilometers) from the pair, which are currently about 122 million miles (197 million km) from Earth. The Dimorphos asteroid is made up of only around one pixel in the initial image, but it is clearly visible and well-separated from its parent body, Didymos. The Hera spacecraft is nearing the end of its voyage to the Didymos asteroid system, having launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in October 2024. The mission aims to survey the damage caused by the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) in September 2022, which smashed into Dimorphos and changed its orbit. Hera will make follow-up observations of the asteroids using 12 payloads, providing new insights for planetary defense efforts. The spacecraft is also carrying a pair of cubesats for a closer look and eventual landing on the 495-foot-wide (151 meters) Dimorphos. As Hera continues its approach, its views will grow sharper, with a big reveal expected to occur later this month. The mission will provide valuable information for future planetary defense efforts.