Survey Aimed at Improving Force Communication Published Jan. 27, 2022 DOD News DART Mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying NASA’s first planetary defense test mission, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test or DART, launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Nov. 23, 2021. The DART spacecraft is designed to direct itself to hit an asteroid while traveling at roughly 15,000 miles per hour. Photo Details / Download Hi-Res A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying NASA’s first planetary defense test mission, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test or DART, launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Nov. 23, 2021. The DART spacecraft is designed to direct itself to hit an asteroid while traveling at roughly 15,000 miles per hour.