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5h ago

DART Impact Measurably Nudged Asteroid Pair’s Orbit Around the Sun, Study Confirms

A peer‑reviewed analysis finds debris from the 2022 strike roughly doubled the momentum transfer, strengthening confidence in kinetic impact for planetary defense.

llustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s LICIACube prior to impact at the Didymos binary system. Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben
Two tails of dust ejected from the asteroid system were captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Image

Overview

  • Researchers detected a heliocentric speed change of about 11.7 micrometers per second, equal to roughly 0.15 seconds per 770‑day solar orbit, marking the first measured human‑caused shift of a natural object’s solar path.
  • The result draws on years of precision tracking, including 22 stellar occultations recorded by volunteer astronomers between October 2022 and March 2025, combined with radar and astrometric data.
  • Earlier measurements showed DART shortened Dimorphos’ roughly 12‑hour orbit around its larger partner Didymos by about 33 minutes.
  • Scientists estimate a momentum enhancement factor near two, indicating escaping ejecta amplified the spacecraft’s push beyond its impact alone.
  • ESA’s Hera mission, launched in 2024, is due to arrive later in 2026 to make on‑site measurements of the crater, masses, and structure, as NASA develops detection assets such as the NEO Surveyor and experts note no DART‑class deflector is currently on standby.