DARTmission

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is a NASA-led initiative designed to test a method of planetary defense against potential asteroid impacts. The mission's primary goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of deflecting an asteroid by altering its trajectory through a kinetic impact. The target for this test is the binary asteroid system Didymos, which consists of a larger asteroid, Didymos, and a smaller asteroid, Dimorphos, that orbits it.

The DART spacecraft was launched on November 24, 2021, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It traveled approximately 6.8 million miles (11 million kilometers) to reach the Didymos system. On September 26, 2022, the DART spacecraft successfully collided with Dimorphos at a speed of about 14,000 miles per hour (22,500 kilometers per hour). This impact was intended to slightly alter the smaller asteroid's orbit around Didymos.

The mission's success was confirmed through observations from ground-based telescopes and the European Space Agency's Hera mission, which is scheduled to launch in October 2024. Hera will perform a detailed post-impact study of the Didymos system, providing valuable data on the effectiveness of the kinetic impact method and the physical properties of the asteroids.

The DART mission represents a significant step forward in planetary defense, demonstrating the potential to protect Earth from future asteroid impacts. The data and insights gained from this mission will inform future planetary defense strategies and contribute to our understanding of asteroid behavior and composition.