NASA has confirmed that its DART (Dual Asteroid Redirection Test) mission is ready for launch on November 23. The crew has completed the final test of the spacecraft and fueled it, and the launch rehearsal is currently in progress. DART is a very important mission and the first planetary defense test mission ever.
The mission will go to a small satellite asteroid called Dimorphos, which orbits a larger asteroid called Didymos. DART will be deliberately knocked into Dimorphos in an attempt to change its orbit. NASA has made it clear that none of these asteroids is at risk of hitting the Earth.
However, NASA hopes to know whether the kinetic energy impact of the spacecraft will change the orbit and trajectory of the asteroid, in case it poses a threat to the earth in the future. Scientists will use telescopes on Earth to measure the impact on the asteroid system. NASA will then use the collected data to enhance its modeling and prediction capabilities in order to prepare for the discovery of real asteroid threats.
NASA stated that DART is the first demonstration of a "kinetic impactor" technology that uses a spacecraft to collide with an asteroid at high speed. Scientists believe that dynamic impact technology is the most mature technology for mitigating potentially dangerous asteroids. DART will help planetary defense experts improve computer models and help improve plans to deflect potentially dangerous asteroids.
DART has been under construction for more than a year under the health and safety protocols implemented by the pandemic, which has slowed down the construction. The spacecraft itself is assembled from various components, including some technologies that will be tested on mission, including the NEXT-C ion propulsion system. This special personnel system is designed to improve spacecraft performance and fuel efficiency for deep space missions.
DART has also been used to test a new high-gain antenna design, which is flat and slotted, and is expected to provide more efficient communication between the spacecraft and the earth. The only instrument on DART is called DRACO, which is an onboard camera. The spacecraft has a pair of solar cell arrays, each 28 feet long, and is equipped with the Italian Space Agency's satellite LICIACube, designed to capture images of impacts and their effects on asteroids.
DART arrived at the Vandenberg Space Force base in California in early October. It arrived at the launch facility after driving from the construction site to various parts of the country. It entered the SpaceX payload processing facility on October 26, and after two days of inspection, it was injected with 110 pounds of hydrazine propellant. The propellant will enable the spacecraft to manipulate and control its attitude.
In addition to the hydrazine propellant, DART is also loaded with 130 pounds of xenon gas to power the NEXT-C ion engine. The next important date for DART is November 10, when it will work with the adapter stacked on top of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to push it into orbit. 24 hours before launch, the Falcon 9 with DART will roll from the hanger to the launch pad. It will use the space launch center 4 East. The mission’s first launch event will be at 10:20 PM PST on November 23. If there is a problem with the weather, the next launch will be November 24. If November 24th does not work for some reason, a follow-up launch will be offered in February 2022.