Days after scientists launched a probe towards trojan asteroid swarms surrounding Jupiter, Nasa is gearing up for a major asteroid mission. Scientists will launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft to demonstrate the capability of deflecting an incoming asteroid towards Earth.
The DART spacecraft arrived in California — the final stop on Earth before being launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late November. The spacecraft reached Vandenberg Space Force Base from where it will be launched towards a binary asteroid system Didymos, which means "twin" in Greek.
“Although it was just a few days of travel, this has been a journey long coming. We are all excited and relieved to see the truck arrive safely at Vandenberg and for DART to begin its final preparations for launch,” said Elena Adams, DART mission systems engineer. The spacecraft will now go through a series of final tests and checks, as well as fueling, in the next few weeks as the team prepares for DART’s scheduled launch.
The DART mission will target an asteroid as engineers and astronomers aim to create a defence system able to deflect potential asteroids headed towards Earth in future.