SpaceX was selected for NASA’s daring asteroid deflection mission in April this year. Dubbed DART or Double Asteroid Redirection Test, the mission is NASA’s last-ditch attempt at protecting Earth from certain impact. Elon Musk, 48, has now said he is excited to play a role in the Earth defence effort.
NASA’s DART will see the US space agency slam a spacecraft at high speeds into a pair of asteroids dubbed Didymos.
The spacecraft will intercept the asteroid duo about 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth.
NASA hopes the force of impact will affect Didymos enough to alter its trajectory.
SpaceX was hired in April to provide a Flacon 9 rocket for the mission’s launch.
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The launch is currently pencilled in for the end of July 2021.
On Friday, October 4, Mr Musk tweeted about the mission to his 28.6 million Twitter followers.
He said: “Excited about launching @NASA asteroid defense mission! #Armageddon69”
The “Armageddon’” Mr Musk tweeted about is a reference to the 1998 film of the same name.
The Hollywood blockbuster starred Bruce Willis in the role of a drilling expert tasked by NASA with blowing up an asteroid headed directly for Earth.
Directed by Michael Bay, the film became a cult classic but it took many liberties in regards to the science of stopping asteroids.
Excited about launching @NASA asteroid defense mission
Elon Musk, SpaceX founder
Mr Bay himself admitted to Entertainment Weekly the film’s premise of using a nuclear charge to blow up an asteroid was unrealistic.
The Hollywood director even apologised for making the film.
But what about the second part of the hashtag #Armageddon69 tweeted by Mr Musk?
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The “69” is likely a reference to the cost of NASA’s DART mission.
The mission carries a hefty price tag of around £56.5million ($69million).
NASA said: “The total cost for NASA to launch DART is approximately $69 million, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.
“The DART mission currently is targeted to launch in June 2021 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
“By using solar electric propulsion, DART will intercept the asteroid Didymos’ small moon in October 2022, when the asteroid will be within 11 million kilometres of Earth.”
According to the space agency, DART is the first-ever mission of its kind.
After SpaceX launches DART into orbit, the spacecraft will cruise towards Didymos for approximately one year.
NASA then expects to intercept the asteroid in late September 2022.
Even at a distance of 6.8 million miles (11 million km), Earth-based telescopes will be able to detect a change in the asteroids’ trajectory.
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