NASA's DART Mission Permanently Alters Asteroid Orbit, Proving Planetary Defense Feasible

Washington D.C. NASA's DART mission, which tested whether dangerous asteroids approaching Earth in the future can be deflected, has created a new history. According to space scientists, the collision that occurred in 2022 has permanently changed the solar orbit of the two asteroids named Dimorphos and Didymos.

These two asteroids orbit the Sun by revolving around each other. New data shows that after the collision, the time taken for them to complete one revolution around the Sun has decreased by nearly one second in 770 days.

According to Dr. Ramil Makadia, the lead author of the study, although this change sounds very small, it holds great significance over the vast distances of space. He stated that even a difference of only 1.7 inches per hour in the asteroid's speed would be sufficient to prevent a catastrophic body from colliding with Earth in the future. This test has established a strong basis that humans can alter the trajectory of celestial bodies using technology if they wish.

Both Didymos and Dimorphos are clumps of dust and rock bound together by gravity. When NASA's spacecraft collided with Dimorphos, more than 16 million kilograms of debris was scattered into space. According to scientists, the force of the ejected rocks and dust helped change the asteroid's momentum more than the direct impact from the spacecraft.

Previous research showed that the time Dimorphos took to orbit Didymos decreased by 33 minutes, while the current new study confirms its effect on the Sun's orbit itself.

The effort put in by volunteer astronomers worldwide from October 2022 to March 2025 to derive this result is commendable. They meticulously measured the blinking or light obstruction that occurs when the asteroid passes in front of distant stars. This process is called stellar occultation, through which it was possible to determine the exact position, speed, and size of the asteroid.

The European Space Agency's Hera mission is preparing to release more images and videos of the post-collision state later this year. Hera will approach Dimorphos closely to collect more detailed information about the changes that occurred there.

Meanwhile, NASA is also developing another new mission to detect dark and hazardous asteroids near Earth that have not yet been observed.