Trending Now - Nasa's DART Spacecraft Alters Asteroids' Orbits After Impact

WHO:

NASA, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Rahil Makadia, Steve Chesley, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Italian Space Agency, LICIACube mission, Patrick Michel, European Space Agency, Thomas Statler

WHAT:

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacted the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022.

The impact altered Dimorphos' orbital period around Didymos from 11 hours and 55 minutes to 11 hours and 23 minutes.

The change in the binary system's orbital speed was about 11.7 microns per second, or 1.7 inches per hour.

The total orbital time for Didymos and Dimorphos around the sun decreased by 0.15 seconds.

The DART impact released an estimated 35.3 million pounds (16 million kilograms) of debris.

Dimorphos lost 0.5% of its mass due to the impact.

The momentum enhancement factor from the ejecta was calculated to be two.

WHERE:

The impact occurred in space, specifically targeting the binary asteroid system Didymos-Dimorphos.

Observations were made globally by 49 amateur astronomers.

WHEN:

The DART impact occurred on September 26, 2022.

Stellar occultations were observed between October 2022 and March 2025.

The study was published on March 10, 2026.

WHY:

The objective of the DART mission was to test whether a kinetic impactor could deflect an asteroid to protect Earth from potential cosmic threats.

HOW:

DART impacted Dimorphos at a speed of 4 miles (6.6 kilometers) per second.

The change in orbit was measured using ground-based observations and stellar occultations.

The study combined years of existing observations with data from 22 stellar occultations to calculate the orbital changes.

(UPDATED March 10, 2026 19:21 UTC)

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, successfully impacted the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022, demonstrating the potential to deflect asteroids as a protective measure for Earth. The impact altered Dimorphos' orbital period around its companion Didymos, changing it from 11 hours and 55 minutes to 11 hours and 23 minutes, while also releasing an estimated 35.3 million pounds of debris. A study published today reveals that the momentum enhancement factor from the ejecta was calculated to be two, and the total orbital time for the binary system around the sun decreased by 0.15 seconds.