NASA spacecraft rams distant asteroid to test Earth's defence abilities

The mission is NASA's first demonstration of the agency's planetary-defense initiative to protect Earth from the possibility of a hazardous collision with an asteroid

A NASA spacecraft successfully crashed into an asteroid approximately 6.8 million miles (10.9 million kilometers) from Earth in a test to determine if the impact can nudge the space rock slightly off course.
 

NASA launched its DART spacecraft in November 2021 with the express purpose of colliding with an asteroid about the size of a football stadium at 14,000 miles per hour.

“In case you’re keeping score: humanity 1, asteroids 0,” Tahira Allen, a NASA spokesperson, said during the livestream after the impact.

The mission is NASA’s first demonstration of the agency’s planetary-defense initiative to protect