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NASA craft collides with asteroid in test of planetary defense

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was the first mission to attempt to push a dangerous object out of the way by means of a direct experiment, according to space mission director Thomas Zurbuchen. Shortly after the collision at 2314 GMT Monday, NASA tweeted "impact success" as the "vending machine-sized spacecraft successfully collides with asteroid Dimorphos, which is the size of a football stadium" and poses no threat to Earth.

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NASA established the Planetary Defence Coordination Office (PDCO) in 2016 to provide early detection of threats from NEOs of a size large enough - starting at about 30 to 50 metres - to damage Earth's surface and to track their paths. Astronomers are not currently aware of NEOs that could threaten Earth, but an asteroid impact some 66 million years ago that left a huge crater in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is believed by many to have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.