Double Asteroid
Redirection Test

NASA's first planetary
defense mission

Mission Overview

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

Impactor Spacecraft

The DART impactor is a low-cost 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.

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 focused spacecraft, designed to navigate to and impact an asteroid at a speed of 6.6 kilometers per second (roughly 15,000 miles per hour).


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Hitting an Asteroid Head On

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will be the first-ever space mission to demonstrate asteroid deflection by kinetic impactor on a binary asteroid target: the smaller asteroid of Didymos, called Didymos B. Didymos is Greek for "twin."

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DART News

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


All DART News