updates
Falcon 9 launches NASA's DART asteroid mission
On November 23, 2021, SpaceX said Falcon 9 launched NASA's DART planetary-defense mission from Vandenberg at 10:21 p.m. PST, the company's first interplanetary flight.
Topics: space-civilization
This page is an original Muskularity summary. It does not republish SpaceX’s full post. Figures are the company’s statements on the cited date unless another primary link is named.
Summary
Falcon 9 launched NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test at 10:21 p.m. PST on November 23, 2021, from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg, onto an interplanetary transfer orbit. DART’s purpose, as SpaceX stated it, is to hit an asteroid and measure whether that changes the asteroid’s path, as a planetary-defense test if a threatening object is found later. SpaceX called the launch its first interplanetary mission. The booster was on its third flight, after Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and a Starlink mission.
The post announces the launch, not the later impact result.
Key facts
| Fact | Label |
|---|---|
| Launch November 23, 2021, 10:21 p.m. PST, from Vandenberg SLC-4E | Company launch report |
| Described as SpaceX’s first interplanetary mission | Company milestone claim |
| Booster on its third flight | Company booster history |
Why it matters
DART is a NASA science mission on a commercial rocket, separate from the crew and Starlink cadence. The planetary-defense result belongs to NASA’s DART record; this page only covers the launch SpaceX reported that night.
On this site
Sources
- SpaceX update, November 23, 2021 — Grade A, company post
- NASA planetary-defense DART page linked by SpaceX — Grade A, NASA
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