NASA crashes spacecraft into an asteroid as part of a mission to save Earth

A NASA spacecraft has crashed into an asteroid named Dimorphos as part of a mission to protect Earth from flying rocks that could endanger the planet in the future

A NASA spacecraft crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos (

Image: via Reuters)

A NASA spacecraft crashed into an asteroid while on a mission to protect Earth.

The US space agency launched an unmanned rocket to the asteroid, named Dimorphos, to demonstrate how incoming rocks can be destroyed.

Dimorphos, which was 560 feet wide, posed no threat to the planet, but other rocks could be dangerous in the future.

NASA hopes rockets can break up asteroids before they reach Earth, saving humans from the same fate as the dinosaurs.

The vending machine-sized spacecraft, which crashed into Dimorphos late Monday, was called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart).

"SUCCESSFUL IMPACT!" Nasa tweeted after its spacecraft collided with the asteroid around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday.

US space agency personnel cheered and cheered in a video shared online as the spacecraft successfully crashed into Dimorphos, which is the size of a football stadium.

"And we are having an impact. A triumph for humanity in the name of planetary defense," a NASA crew member said in video recorded in the control room at the time of the collision.