NASA confirms success of DART asteroid mission

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- NASA's recent planetary defense mission was a success, the space agency confirmed in a statement Tuesday.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully altered the orbit of asteroid Dimorphos, according to NASA's DART team.

The spacecraft's kinetic impact with Dimorphos marked the first time humans were able to purposely change the motion of a celestial object and first full-scale demonstration of asteroid deflection technology.

On Sept. 28, DART slammed into the asteroid in the first-ever planetary defense test that could protect Earth from future threats, generating cheers from NASA engineers who worked for years on the mission.

Prior to DART's impact, it took Dimorphos 11 hours and 55 minutes to orbit its larger parent asteroid, Didymos.

Following the collision, the spacecraft's impact changed Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos by 32 minutes, shortening the 11 hour and 55-minute orbit to 11 hours and 23 minutes.

At the time, NASA scientists said they were about 17 meters off-center from their exact target because the asteroid was not completely lit from all sides, but otherwise everything went according to plan.

"All of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet. After all, it's the only one we have," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement Tuesday.

"This mission shows that NASA is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us. NASA has proven we are serious as a defender of the planet. This is a watershed moment for planetary defense and all of humanity, demonstrating commitment from NASA's exceptional team and partners from around the world."

Prior to the mission, NASA said a success would constitute a minimum successful orbit period change of 73 seconds or more. Early data shows DART surpassed the minimum benchmark by more than 25 times.

Investigators are still acquiring data from ground-based observatories and radar facilities around the world. The focus now shifts to measuring the efficiency of momentum transfer from DART's impact.

"DART has given us some fascinating data about both asteroid properties and the effectiveness of a kinetic impactor as a planetary defense technology," DART coordination lead Nancy Chabot said in a statement.

"The DART team is continuing to work on this rich dataset to fully understand this first planetary defense test of asteroid deflection."