Autonomous Rendezvous Technology mission, planned to guide itself to within a few meters of a US satellite.

• 2005 April 15 - DART - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Pegasus XL. Mass: 360 kg (790 lb). Perigee: 395 km (245 mi). Apogee: 747 km (464 mi). Inclination: 96.60 deg. Period: 96.10 min.

  Delayed from April 15; October 18, 19, 26, 28; Nov. 4, 9 and 11; 2004, and March 2, 2005. Autonomous Rendezvous Technology mission, planned to guide itself to within a few metres of a US satellite. On April 16, DART closed within 100 m of the MUBLCOM satellite, then evidently began a series of out-of-control maneuvers resulting in an in-space collission and MUBLCOM being bumped into a 3 to 5 km higher orbit. Remarkably both satellites continued to function. DART then detected that it was running unexpectedly low on nitrogen cold gas used for orientation. Its autonomous software aborted further rendezvous operations and the DART was deorbited shortly thereafter.

• NASA Report, DART Press Kit, . Accessed at: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/67214main_dart_presskit.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, DART Fact Sheeet, . Accessed at: http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/NEWSROOM/background/facts/dart.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!