SpaceX launched a spacecraft Tuesday night on a mission testing an asteroid defense system to alter the trajectory of an asteroid.

The spacecraft will travel autonomously toward Dimorphos, an asteroid that does not pose a threat to Earth, and make kinetic contact between Sept. 26 and Oct. 1 of 2022, according to NASA. The successful launch of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test took place at Vandenberg Space Force Base with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX recovered its rocket booster following the launch.