NASA's DART Mission Permanently Altered an Asteroid's Orbit Around the Sun

New study confirms humanity has signed its name into the orbital dynamics of the solar system

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By LineZotpaper

Published8 March 2026

Read Time2 min

A new study published in Science has confirmed that NASA's DART spacecraft, which slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022, has permanently altered the asteroid's orbit around the Sun — not just its path around its parent body Didymos.

The original DART mission was designed to test whether a kinetic impactor could change an asteroid's trajectory as a planetary defence technique. Scientists quickly confirmed it had shortened Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos. But the new research goes further, showing the impact was significant enough to shift the entire Didymos system's heliocentric orbit — its path around the Sun.

Dimorphos is roughly the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza and orbits the larger Didymos asteroid. The confirmation that humanity can measurably alter solar system orbital mechanics represents a milestone in planetary defence capabilities.

Analysis

Why This Matters

This is the first time humanity has demonstrably changed the orbit of a celestial body around the Sun. It validates kinetic impactor technology as a viable planetary defence strategy.

Background

DART launched in November 2021 and impacted Dimorphos on 26 September 2022. The mission cost approximately $330 million.

What to Watch

The ESA's Hera mission, which will arrive at Dimorphos in late 2026 to study the impact crater and measure the asteroid's changed properties in detail.

Sources

Humanity Has Altered an Asteroids Orbit Around the Sun