CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — All systems are go for NASA’s launch of it’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Wednesday.
At a briefing Monday, officials said they are predicting a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch.
NASA says the mission will determine if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid could change its course.
Scientists say the test will provide valuable information should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered.
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The @SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the DART spacecraft is vertical on the launch pad at @SLDelta30 in California! Launch is scheduled for Nov. 24 at 1:21am ET (Nov. 23 at 10:21pm PT) #DARTMission #PlanetaryDefense More 📷: https://t.co/iU5MOJDHCI pic.twitter.com/Ik7YhHa0be
— NASA HQ PHOTO (@nasahqphoto) November 23, 2021
DART’s target is the asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits larger asteroid Didymos.
The mission calls for a spacecraft to collide with Dimorphos while traveling at a speed of roughly 15,000 mph to see if it can change the moonlet’s orbit.
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NASA officials say Dimorphos was chosen because it poses no actual impact threat to Earth, and can be monitored with ground-based telescopes.
Lindley Johnson with NASA said while the chances of an asteroid actually hitting earth is unlikely, it’s better to be prepared.
“It’s very rare for an asteroid to impact the earth, but it’s something we want to know about well ahead of time.” she said
DART is scheduled to launch Nov. 24 AT 1:21 a.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
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