Nasa says its Dart rocket successfully nudged asteroid Dimorphos off course

US space agency Nasa says its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) spacecraft has successfully altered the trajectory of the asteroid Dimorphos in the first-ever mission to test the world’s ability to redirect space rocks headed toward Earth. Announcing the results on October 11, 2022, the agency provided details about the larger-than-expected impact of the “planetary defence” test on September 26, when Dart collided with the asteroid.