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NASA said its DART mission in late September, in which the space agency intentionally crashed a probe into an asteroid, exceeded expectations.
The time and track of Dimorphos’s orbit around Didymos was slowed by 32 minutes. Scientists had hoped for a slowing of 10 minutes.
“This was a watershed moment for planetary defense and a watershed moment for humanity,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a news conference on Tuesday.
He credited the help of the Italian Space Agency, which provided equipment for the effort.
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“All of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet. After all, it’s the only one we have,” said Nelson. “This mission shows that NASA is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us.”
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You can watch the full news conference below.
