NASA probe hits asteroid in first Earth defense test

The United States Space Agency (NASA) said on Monday (26) that it had successfully carried out the first mission to test a defense technology against asteroids or comets that could pose a danger to Earth.

According to NASA, the space probe of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, launched ten months ago, hit the target asteroid Dimorphos, which poses no threat to Earth, about 11 million kilometers from Earth. our planet.

Further analysis will show whether the impact, which occurred at a speed of 22,000 kilometers per hour, actually changed the asteroid’s orbit, the mission’s objective.

“We are embarking on a new era of humanity, an era in which we potentially will have the ability to protect ourselves from something like a dangerous asteroid impact,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Division of Planetary Science.