NASA's Dual Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is the world's first full-scale planetary defense test against a potential asteroid impact on Earth. Researchers at the University of Bern and the National Competence Center (NCCR) for PlanetS are now showing that rather than leaving a relatively small crater behind, a DART spacecraft colliding with its target could render the asteroid almost unrecognizable.

Currently, none of the known asteroids poses an immediate threat. But if one day a large asteroid is discovered heading for a collision with the Earth, it may have to be deflected from the trajectory to prevent catastrophic consequences.

Last November, the DART space probe was launched as the first full-scale experiment of such a maneuver: Its task is to collide with an asteroid and deflect it from orbit in order to obtain valuable information for the development of such a planetary defense system.

The results of a new study show that DART can deform its target much more than previously thought.

In 2024, the launch of the Dimorphos space probe is planned as part of the European Space Agency HERA mission.

Press Service