Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) LICIACube prior to impact at the Didymos binary system. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins, APL/Steve Gribben
Illustration of the DART spacecraft. Credit: NASA
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s first planetary defense test mission, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). The mission will help determine if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course. DART’s target asteroid is not a threat to Earth.
DART is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1:20 a.m. EST Wednesday, November 24 (10:20 p.m. PST Tuesday, November 23) on a
Full mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Sunday, November 21
4 p.m. – DART investigation and engineering briefing on NASA TV with the following participants:
Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington
Tom Statler, DART program scientist, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters
Andy Rivkin, DART investigation team lead, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Ed Reynolds, DART project manager, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Omar Baez, senior launch director, Launch Services Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Julianna Scheiman, director for civil satellite missions, SpaceX
Capt. Maximillian Rush, weather officer, Space Launch Delta 30, Vandenberg Space Force Base
Tuesday, November 23
4 p.m. – NASA Science Live, with the following participants:
Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters
Nancy Chabot, DART coordination lead, John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Joshua Ramirez Rodriguez, telecommunications subsystem integration and test lead engineer, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
This event will stream live on the agency’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels. Members of the public can participate live by submitting questions in the comment section of the streams, or by using #AskNASA.
Wednesday, November 24
12:30 a.m. – NASA TV live launch coverage begins.
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.
Planetary Defender Campaign
To allow the public to share in the excitement of DART, NASA has launched the Planetary Defenders campaign. Participants can answer a short series of questions about planetary defense to earn their planetary defender certificate, which they can download or print, as well as a digital badge to share on social media using the hashtag #PlanetaryDefender.
Public Participation
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for DART includes curated launch resources, a behind-the-scenes look at the mission, and the opportunity for a virtual guest launch passport stamp.
Virtual NASA Social
As we finalize launch preparations, we are excited to invite the public to join our virtual NASA Social for the #DARTMission on Facebook. Stay up to date on the latest mission activities, interact with NASA and DART team members in real-time, and watch the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will boost DART toward its destination.