Asteroid’s path altered in NASA’s first test of planetary defense system

NASA successfully altered the trajectory of an asteroid for the first time by deliberately crashing the DART spacecraft into a small moonlet named Dimorphos. This $330 million mission, which took seven years to develop, was a test of a planetary defense system aimed at preventing potential future collisions with Earth. The impact, which occurred 6.8 million miles from Earth, shortened Dimorphos’ orbit around its larger parent asteroid, Didymos, by 32 minutes. This achievement marks a significant milestone in planetary defense and demonstrates humanity’s ability to influence the motion of a celestial body.