November 24, 2021 6:21 am

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)

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Falcon 9

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
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November 24, 2021 6:21 am

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Last Updated:

2026-07-11 16:46:21

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is the first-ever mission to demonstrate the capability to deflect an asteroid by colliding a spacecraft with it at high speed, a technique known as a kinetic impactor. DART is a planetary defense-driven test of one of the technologies for preventing the Earth impact of a hazardous asteroid: the kinetic impactor. DART’s primary objective is to demonstrate a kinetic impact on a small asteroid. The binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos is the target for DART. While Didymos’ primary body is approximately 800 meters across, its secondary body has a 150-meter size, which is more typical of the size of asteroids that could pose a more common hazard to Earth. The DART spacecraft will achieve the kinetic impact by deliberately crashing itself into the moonlet at a speed of approximately 6 km/s, with the aid of an onboard camera and sophisticated autonomous navigation software. The collision will change the speed of the moonlet in its orbit around the main body by a fraction of one percent, enough to be measured using telescopes on Earth.
Launch Overview
Window Open 06:21 UTC
Window Close 06:21 UTC
Lift Off Nov 24, 2021 · 06:21 UTC
Launch Facility Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Launch Pad Space Launch Complex 4E
Target Orbit Heliocentric N/A
Payload Overview
Customer SpaceX
Payload Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
Rocket Falcon 9
Destination Heliocentric N/A
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is the first-ever mission to demonstrate the capability to deflect an asteroid by colliding a spacecraft with it at high speed, a technique known as a kinetic impactor. DART is a planetary defense-driven test of one of the technologies for preventing the Earth impact of a hazardous asteroid: the kinetic impactor. DART’s primary objective is to demonstrate a kinetic impact on a small asteroid. The binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos is the target for DART. While Didymos’ primary body is approximately 800 meters across, its secondary body has a 150-meter size, which is more typical of the size of asteroids that could pose a more common hazard to Earth. The DART spacecraft will achieve the kinetic impact by deliberately crashing itself into the moonlet at a speed of approximately 6 km/s, with the aid of an onboard camera and sophisticated autonomous navigation software. The collision will change the speed of the moonlet in its orbit around the main body by a fraction of one percent, enough to be measured using telescopes on Earth.

Height

LEO Payload

Total Launches

Status

SpaceX
Space Launch Complex 4E
Launch Overview
Window Open 06:21 UTC
Window Close 06:21 UTC
Lift Off Nov 24, 2021 · 06:21 UTC
Launch Facility Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Launch Pad Space Launch Complex 4E
Target Orbit Heliocentric N/A
Payload Overview
Customer SpaceX
Payload Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
Rocket Falcon 9
Destination Heliocentric N/A
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship

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