Nasa puts spacecraft on collision course with asteroid to test possible Earth defence system

A spacecraft designed to deflect an asteroid from its course was launched from the US state of California on November 23, 2021. Nasa’s DART spacecraft was carried into space aboard a SpaceX-owned Falcon 9 rocket, and put on course for crashing into the asteroid in September 2022. The US space agency says the mission is a test for actions that could be taken in future if a large space rock is detected on a potential doomsday collision with Earth.