Double Asteroid Redirection Test

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is a testing method to deflect or defend the near-earth objects. The DART will deliberately (wantedly) crash a spacecraft into a double asteroid didymos. The Didymos is potentially a hazardous asteroid. The test will check if the spacecraft will hit and deflect the asteroid away from the earth successfully. DART is a Planetary Defence Mission.

About DART

It is a joint project between Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and NASA. Other International space agencies such as Italy, Europe and Japan are also contributing to the project. The test has been planned to be held on November 24, 2021.

Background

The NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) had independent plans to test asteroid deflection strategies. They created a collaboration called AIDA to conduct the test. Under AIDA, the European spacecraft AIM was to be launched in 2020 and DART in 2021. AIM would have orbited the bigger asteroid of the double asteroids and study its composition. DART will impact the moon of the asteroid in October 2022 when it approaches close to the earth. However, the AIM orbiter was cancelled.

Technical details of DART

• The DART carries no payloads. It holds only a sun tracker and a sun sensor. The DART weighs 500 kilograms. It will hit the asteroid at 6.6 km/sec. This will change the trajectory of the asteroid system.
• It uses NEXT Ion Thruster, a solar electric propulsion. The spacecraft will be powered by 22 square metres of solar arrays.
• The Italian Space Agency has created LICIACube (Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids). The Cubesat is to be attached on the top of DART. It will separate from DART before ten days to impact. The LICIACube will send images of the collision to the earth. The LICIACube has two optical cameras such as LEIA and LUKE.

HERA: Continuation of DART

The European Space Agency is developing HERA. The HERA is to be launched to Didymos in 2024. It will arrive there in 2027. The HERA will do a detailed assessment and reconnaissance of the Didymos.

Didymos

The Didymos is a binary asteroid system. Here, the smaller asteroid orbits the larger asteroid. DART will impact the smaller asteroid.

About the launch mission of DART

• The spacecraft was fueled in Vandenberg Space Force Base. It then headed to SpaceX Payload Processing Facility in October 2021.
• The spacecraft was filed with hydrazine propellant.
• It is to be launched in SpaceX Falcon 9.