The DART impact could be just the start of a program testing techniques to deflect asteroids.
" will alter Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos, and because the two rocks are gravitationally bound, there's no chance that the impact could send Dimorphos accidentally careening across space.The experiment marks a change of pace for NASA, which has to date focused its spacecraft on science.
, which will follow up on DART, visiting Didymos and Dimorphos in 2026 to view the aftermath of the impact and conduct a scientific study of the double-asteroid system.to learn how to defend Earth from hazardous asteroids. But he's dubious that we could deflect such a large asteroid using just a kinetic impactor."I don't think that would work because it's too big," he told Space.com.