NASA delays launch of DART mission
NASA has delayed the launch of its first-ever planetary defence mission, aimed at deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids from colliding with Earth. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will send a spacecraft to test crash into near-Earth binary asteroid system Didymos in 2022.
NASA announced that this year’s primary launch window of 21 July to 24 August is no longer an option. Instead the space agency is targeting a backup window that opens 24 November and runs to 15 February 2022.
The decision to postpone the launch was made by NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) senior leadership following a risk assessment of the DART project schedule. Delaying the launch of the mission will not affect the spacecraft’s arrival at its target in
October 2022.
The risk assessment revealed technical issues with two major components of the spacecraft, including its main instrument, the Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation (DRACO), and its Roll Out Solar Arrays (ROSA). The DRACO imager needs to be reinforced to ensure it can withstand launch, while the solar arrays are delayed following supply chain issues.