NASA is set to test the planet’s defences against rogue asteroids by smashing into one with a spaceship next week. The goal of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), is to hit an asteroid to slightly alter its trajectory.
The test asteroid, around 20 million miles away, poses no threat to Earth. But as reported by the Mirror, it is hoped the results of the experiment will help in the future should the planet be at risk.
DART was launched in 2021 ahead of next week’s mission. Its target asteroid is named Dimorphos which orbits a much larger one called Didymos.
