NASA and SpaceX launch DART mission

Credit: SpaceX

Credit: NASA

On November 24 at 1:21 am ET (10:21pm on the 23rd PT), NASA launched DART (The Double Asteroid Redirection Test) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 from SLC-2E at Vandenburg Space Force Base in California.

This is the first Planetary Defense mission, in which DART will try to change the trajectory of two asteroids. This will pave the way for future defense missions of Earth from asteroids.