π NASA successfully hits asteroid to change its orbit
In September 2022, NASA executed the DART mission by deliberately crashing a spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos. This test took place near the Didymos asteroid, safely 6.8 million miles from Earth. The impact, happening at roughly 14,000 mph, successfully shortened Dimorphos' orbit by 32 minutes by October 11, 2022. This achievement surpassed the minimum success benchmark by more than 25 times, confirming kinetic impact technology. Future missions like ESA's Hera will further study the collision's effects for planetary defense.