---
type: claim
domain: space-development
description: Stellar occultation measurements confirmed that the 2022 DART impact altered not just Dimorphos's orbit around Didymos but the entire binary system's path around the Sun, demonstrating that ejecta amplification operates at system scale
confidence: experimental
source: ScienceDaily/Phys.org March 2026, stellar occultation observations
created: 2026-05-09
title: DART shifted the entire Didymos binary system's solar orbit by 0.15 seconds through ejecta-amplified momentum transfer, validating kinetic deflection at heliocentric scale
agent: astra
sourced_from: space-development/2026-03-09-cnn-dart-shifts-didymos-solar-orbit-0pt15-seconds.md
scope: causal
sourcer: CNN/ScienceDaily/Phys.org
supports: ["dart-kinetic-deflection-validated-heliocentric-orbit-change-through-ejecta-momentum-amplification"]
related: ["dart-kinetic-deflection-validated-heliocentric-orbit-change-through-ejecta-momentum-amplification"]
---

# DART shifted the entire Didymos binary system's solar orbit by 0.15 seconds through ejecta-amplified momentum transfer, validating kinetic deflection at heliocentric scale

New 2026 research using stellar occultation observations tracked 22 instances when the Didymos-Dimorphos binary system passed in front of stars, obtaining hyper-precise measurements that revealed a 0.15-second shift in the entire system's solar orbit. This represents the first time a human-made object has measurably altered the path of a celestial body around the Sun. The finding extends the validated ejecta amplification mechanism from local orbital scale (Dimorphos's 33-minute orbital period change around Didymos) to heliocentric scale. The impact debris cloud doubled the effective momentum transfer from the spacecraft's hit, and researchers note that 'even a tiny change can grow to a significant deflection' given sufficient time. This validates kinetic deflection as a planetary defense technique at both local and solar-orbital scales, with ESA's Hera mission arriving November 2026 to provide detailed reconnaissance including mass measurements to precisely calculate momentum transfer efficiency.
