Successful kinetic impact into an asteroid for planetary defence
Authors: Daly R. Terik , Ernst Carolyn M. , Barnouin Olivier S. , Chabot Nancy L. , Rivkin Andrew S. , Cheng Andrew F. , Adams Elena Y. , Agrusa Harrison F. , Abel Elisabeth D. , Alford Amy L. , Asphaug Erik I. , Atchison Justin A. , Badger Andrew R. , Baki Paul , Ballouz Ronald-L. , Bekker Dmitriy L. , Bellerose Julie , Bhaskaran Shyam , Buratti Bonnie J. , Cambioni Saverio , Chen Michelle H. , Chesley Steven R. , Chiu George , Collins Gareth S. , Cox Matthew W. , DeCoster Mallory E. , Ericksen Peter S. , Espiritu Raymond C. , Faber Alan S. , Farnham Tony L. , Ferrari Fabio , Fletcher Zachary J. , Gaskell Robert W. , Graninger Dawn M. , Haque Musad A. , Harrington-Duff Patricia A. , Hefter Sarah , Herreros Isabel , Hirabayashi Masatoshi , Huang Philip M. , Hsieh Syau-Yun W. , Jacobson Seth A. , Jenkins Stephen N. , Jensenius Mark A. , John Jeremy W. , Jutzi Martin , Kohout Tomas , Krueger Timothy O. , Laipert Frank E. , Lopez Norberto R. , Luther Robert , Lucchetti Alice , Mages Declan M. , Marchi Simone , Martin Anna C. , McQuaide Maria E. , Michel Patrick , Moskovitz Nicholas A. , Murphy Ian W. , Murdoch Naomi , Naidu Shantanu P. , Nair Hari , Nolan Michael C. , Ormö Jens , Pajola Maurizio , Palmer Eric E. , Peachey James M. , Pravec Petr , Raducan Sabina D. , Ramesh K. T. , Ramirez Joshua R. , Reynolds Edward L. , Richman Joshua E. , Robin Colas Q. , Rodriguez Luis M. , Roufberg Lew M. , Rush Brian P. , Sawyer Carolyn A. , Scheeres Daniel J. , Scheirich Petr , Schwartz Stephen R. , Shannon Matthew P. , Shapiro Brett N. , Shearer Caitlin E. , Smith Evan J. , Steele R. Joshua , Steckloff Jordan K. , Stickle Angela M. , Sunshine Jessica M. , Superfin Emil A. , Tarzi Zahi B. , Thomas Cristina A. , Thomas Justin R. , Trigo-Rodríguez Josep M. , Tropf B. Teresa , Vaughan Andrew T. , Velez Dianna , Waller C. Dany , Wilson Daniel S. , Wortman Kristin A. , Zhang Yun 
Published: March 2023

Although no known asteroid poses a threat to Earth for at least the next century, the catalogue of near-Earth asteroids is incomplete for objects whose impacts would produce regional devastation1,2. Several approaches have been proposed to potentially prevent an asteroid impact with Earth by deflecting or disrupting an asteroid1–3. A test of kinetic impact technology was identified as the highest-priority space mission related to asteroid mitigation1. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is a full-scale test of kinetic impact technology. The mission’s target asteroid was Dimorphos, the secondary member of the S-type binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos. This binary asteroid system was chosen to enable ground-based telescopes to quantify the asteroid deflection caused by the impact of the DART spacecraft4. Although past missions have utilized impactors to investigate the properties of small bodies5,6, those earlier missions were not intended to deflect their targets and did not achieve measurable deflections. Here we report the DART spacecraft’s autonomous kinetic impact into Dimorphos and reconstruct the impact event, including the timeline leading to impact, the location and nature of the DART impact site, and the size and shape of Dimorphos. The successful impact of the DART spacecraft with Dimorphos and the resulting change in the orbit of Dimorphos7demonstrates that kinetic impactor technology is a viable technique to potentially defend Earth if necessary.