![](http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2022/09/23/60a46fdd15d647759d7ce8bfe30540a1.jpg)
An illustration of NASA's DART spacecraft on a collision course with the asteroid Dimorphos. (Photo/Agencies)
A spacecraft built by NASA is set to intentionally crash into a small asteroid as part of a planetary protection test mission. The spacecraft, known as Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart), is expected to collide with an asteroid in the early hours of Thursday, September 27.
![](http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2022/09/23/551729f263054775ab6f8bd5c5f66b21.jpg)
The goal of the DART missions is to hit an asteroid with a spacecraft to slightly alter its trajectory. (Photo/Agencies)
![](http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2022/09/23/b53d165a430442089a4209ff2642b92c.jpg)
An illustration of NASA's DART spacecraft on a collision course with the asteroid Dimorphos. (Photo/Agencies)