NASA officials give a preview of the launch of the agency’s first planetary defense test mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will determine if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid could change its course.

Scientists say the test will provide valuable information should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered.

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DART’s target is the asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits larger asteroid Didymos.

The mission set for fall 2022 calls for a spacecraft to collide with Dimorphos while traveling at a speed of roughly 15,000 mph to see if it can change the moonlet’s orbit.

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NASA officials say Dimorphos was chosen because it poses no actual impact threat to Earth, and can be monitored with ground-based telescopes.

Lindley Johnson with NASA said while the chances of an asteroid actually hitting earth is unlikely, it’s better to be prepared.

“It’s very rare for an asteroid to impact the earth, but it’s something we want to know about well ahead of time.” she said

DART is scheduled to launch no earlier than Nov. 24 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

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