DART is the first kinetic impact mission dedicated to demonstrating the method of asteroid deflection in a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. On Sept 22, 2022 DART spacecraft collided with asteroid Dimorphos, a 160 metres in diameter satellite of the four times larger asteroid Didymos. DART changed successfully the orbit of Dimorphos within the binary system, and its orbital period decreased in 33 minutes. Both asteroids in the Didymos system are presumably rubble-piles, bodies catastrophically disrupted by impacts and reaggregated. These rocky asteroids are composed of big blocks, called boulders, with sizes up to tens of metres that are embedded in fine-grained materials.
Senior institute member involved
Meet the senior researcher who leads our participation in the DART mission.
Josep M. Trigo-Rodríguez