DART

Mission Overview

DART is the first-ever space mission to demonstrate asteroid deflection by kinetic impactor.

Impactor Spacecraft

The DART impactor is a simple spacecraft, equipped with a camera and the ability to autonomously guide itself to impact the asteroid.

Planetary Defense

"Planetary defense" encompasses activities undertaken to understand the hazards posed to Earth by potential impacts of asteroids and comets and to develop approaches to prevent or minimize the effects of those impacts.

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Planetary Defender

Support the DART mission by becoming a "Planetary Defender". Participants who take a short quiz earn a certificate and badge that they can download, print and share on social media.

The First Planetary Defense Mission

DART is NASA's first mission to demonstrate asteroid deflection by a kinetic impactor.

The First Planetary Defense Mission

DART is one part of NASA's larger planetary defense strategy.

The First Planetary Defense Mission

DART is a simple, low-cost spacecraft.

DART, NASA's First Planetary Defense Test Mission

NASA's first flight mission for planetary defense, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) seeks to test and validate a method to protect Earth in case of an asteroid impact threat. The DART mission aims to shift an asteroid's orbit through kinetic impact – specifically, by smashing a spacecraft into the smaller member of the binary asteroid system Didymos.

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Experience DART

Explore and manipulate the DART spacecraft on your computer screen or access an Augmented Reality version of the spacecraft on your cell phone.

DART News

NASA’s DART Spacecraft Launches in World’s First Planetary Defense Test Mission

11/24/2021 \ DART Press Release

APL DART Team Prepares for Launch of NASA’s First Planetary Defense Test Mission

11/04/2021 \ DART Press Release

DART Arrives at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Its Final Stop Before Launch

10/20/2021 \ DART Press Release

DART Gets Its CubeSat Companion, Its Last Major Piece

10/01/2021 \ DART Press Release

Smarter Navigation on NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test

09/27/2021 \ DART Press Release

DART Gets Its Wings: Spacecraft Integrated with Innovative Solar Array Technology and Camera

08/13/2021 \ DART Press Release

SMART Nav: Giving Spacecraft the Power to Guide Themselves

07/14/2021 \ DART Press Release

Behind the Scenes: Testing for Electromagnetic Interference on DART (ft. Ken Watson)

05/10/2021 \ DART Blog

NASA Selects Four Scientists to Join the DART Planetary Defense Mission

04/15/2021 \ NASA.gov

Behind the Scenes: Outfitting the DART Spacecraft with Thermal Blankets, ft. Elisabeth Abel

03/31/2021 \ DART Blog

NASA's First Planetary Defense Test Mission

03/02/2021 \ DART Blog

Behind the Scenes: DART High Gain Antenna

03/01/2021 \ DART Blog

DART Launch Moves to Secondary Window

02/17/2021 \ NASA.gov

DART Mission Heats Up, Enters Environmental Testing

02/09/2021 \ DART Press Release

Behind the Scenes: NEXT-C Ion Engine Installation on DART

02/02/2021 \ DART Blog

DART Team Takes a Last Look at Asteroid Target Before Launch

01/15/2021 \ DART Press Release

DART Spacecraft Outfitted with Next-Gen Technology Demonstration Propulsion System

11/24/2020 \ DART Press Release

Behind the Scenes: Assembling the DART Spacecraft (feat. Mechanical Systems Engineer Betsy Congdon)

11/17/2020 \ DART Blog

How to Build a Spacecraft to Save the World

10/15/2020 \ WIRED

This spacecraft is being readied for a one-way mission to deflect an asteroid

10/12/2020 \ MIT Technology Review

Predicting the Unpredictable - The Dynamics of DART's Dive Into an Asteroid

07/23/2020 \ DART Mission Website

Staying Aligned During COVID-19: APL Propels Space Missions Forward

07/02/2020 \ DART Mission Website

NASA's First Planetary Defense Mission Target Gets a New Name

06/23/2020 \ DART Mission Website

NASA planetary defense efforts continue during pandemic

06/09/2020 \ SpaceNews

Johns Hopkins APL Receives DART Spacecraft Structure and Ramps Up Integration and Testing

05/19/2020 \ DART Mission Website

Why NASA plans to slam a spacecraft into an asteroid

04/28/2020 \ National Geographic

NASA’s First Planetary Defense Mission Readies for Integration and Testing at APL

04/13/2020 \ DART Mission Website

NASA’s Plan to Stop an Asteroid Headed for Earth

02/04/2020 \ Freethink

Building a Brand

01/30/2020 \ DART Blog

DART Receives First Flight Guidance and Control Sensor

12/16/2019 \ DART Blog

DART Project Successfully Completes Critical Milestone

11/06/2019 \ DART Mission Website

We’re going to slam a spacecraft into an asteroid to try to deflect it

09/17/2019 \ MIT Technology Review

A Launch Four Centuries in the Making

09/03/2019 \ DART Blog

What's in the Box? DART Team Unpacks a Spacecraft

07/19/2019 \ DART Press Release

A Visit to SpaceX

06/30/2019 \ DART Blog

Scientists turn up the spotlight on space perils (and prospects) for Asteroid Day

06/27/2019 \ GeekWire

NBC News: Inside scientists’ new plan to deflect asteroids away from Earth

06/02/2019 \ NBC News

NASA’s First Planetary Defense Technology Demonstration to Collide with Asteroid in 2022

05/06/2019 \ DART Press Release

What if a killer asteroid were headed toward Earth? NASA plans to find out this week

04/29/2019 \ NBC News

Observing Didymos in 2019: Using Telescopes to Understand Our Target

04/29/2019 \ DART Blog

DART Mission Set to Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9

04/12/2019 \ DART Press Release

Smart Teams + Smart Algorithms = SMART Nav

02/25/2019 \ DART Blog

ESA plans mission to smallest asteroid ever visited

02/04/2019 \ European Space Agency

An asteroid could destroy humanity like it did dinosaurs. A Hopkins team has a plan to save the world.

02/04/2019 \ The Baltimore Sun

Humanity Will Slam a Spacecraft into an Asteroid in a Few Years to Help Save Us All

01/02/2019 \ Space.com

What Could be More Exciting Than Crashing a Spacecraft Into an Asteroid?

11/19/2018 \ DART Blog

Collision Course

10/09/2018 \ Baltimore Magazine

Asteroids have been hitting the Earth for billions of years. In 2022, we hit back.

09/27/2018 \ DART Blog

APL-Led Asteroid-Deflection Mission Passes Key Development Milestone

08/30/2018 \ DART Press Release

White House releases near Earth object action plan

06/21/2018 \ SpaceNews

Space scientists have big plans to avert an asteroid apocalypse

04/06/2018 \ NBC News

Course Corrector: Managers of proposed mission hope to protect Earth from giant space rocks

10/01/2017 \ Aerospace America

NASA Pushes Through with Asteroid Deflection Mission That Could One Day Save Earth

07/05/2017 \ Inquisitr

NASA Spacecraft Would Smash Into an Asteroid as a Dry Run for Saving the Planet

07/03/2017 \ Popular Mechanics

NASA unveils plan to test asteroid defense technique

07/01/2017 \ CNN

NASA'S First Asteroid Deflection Mission Enters Next Design Phase at Johns Hopkins APL

06/30/2017 \ DART Press Release

Earth’s Best Defense Against Killer Asteroids Needs Cash

02/09/2017 \ WIRED

Can We Deflect Asteroids?

11/24/2016 \ Euronews

We really need to figure out how to stop a killer asteroid, scientists say

11/18/2016 \ The Washington Post

Space Scientists Rally Support for 2020 Asteroid-Deflection Mission

11/15/2016 \ Space.com

European Asteroid Mission Could Launch Soon, Target Space Rock Moves Near Earth

11/08/2016 \ Nature World News