NASA Says DART Mission Succeeded in Altering Asteroid’s Trajectory

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft prior to impact at the Didymos binary asteroid system shown in this undated illustration handout. NASA/Johns Hopkins/Handout via Reuters

The spacecraft that NASA deliberately crashed into an asteroid last month succeeded in nudging the rocky moonlet out of its natural orbit—the first time humanity has altered the motion of a celestial body, NASA’s chief announced on Tuesday.

“This is a watershed moment for planetary defense and a watershed moment for humanity,” NASA chief Bill Nelson told reporters in announcing the results.