Kinetic impact as planetary defense

NASA’s DART mission produced a measurable orbital change—shortening Dimorphos’s orbit by about 33 minutes—showing a spacecraft strike can alter an asteroid system. Coupled with planned telescopes like the Near‑Earth Object Surveyor (launch 2027), the result moves kinetic deflection from theory toward an operational capability that depends on early detection and governance. — This reframes planetary defense as a governance and funding problem (find and track hazardous objects early, then apply validated kinetic methods) rather than an abstract sci‑fi threat.