Two scientists from Uzbekistan have been recognized by NASA for their contribution to observations confirming the first successful attempt to alter the orbit of an asteroid.
PUBLICIDAD Measurements from the high-altitude Maydanak Observatory were instrumental in verifying that the trajectory of Dimorphos, a small asteroid moon orbiting the larger body Didymos, changed following the impact of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft. The success of the DART mission represents a significant step forward in planetary defense technology, demonstrating a viable method for potentially mitigating future asteroid impact threats.
Scientists Kamoliddin Ergashov and Otabek Burkhonov, from the Mirzo Ulug‘bek Astronomical Institute, were among nearly 100 researchers from 28 observatories worldwide who monitored the outcome of this planetary-defense experiment. Their observations contributed to the international dataset used to measure the orbital shift.
The asteroid system targeted by the mission also has a linguistic connection to Greek. The larger asteroid, Didymos, derives its name from the Greek word for “twin,” referencing the system’s binary nature. Its smaller companion, Dimorphos, means “having two forms,” reflecting the asteroid’s state before and after the spacecraft impact.
The researchers involved in the global observation campaign were recognized with a NASA Group Achievement Award, an internal honor typically given to collaborative teams contributing to mission objectives. “We took part in the first tests in human history aimed at changing the orbit of an object that could threaten Earth or break apart,” Burkhonov said. “We also helped to confirm the effectiveness of this method. NASA recognized our operate and awarded us this prize. In the future I hope to continue joint research with NASA in other scientific fields and achieve new results.”
How the DART Mission Changed an Asteroid’s Orbit
The DART mission deliberately collided a spacecraft with Dimorphos to test whether it was possible to alter the orbit of a potentially hazardous asteroid through a kinetic impact.
Follow-up observations from ground-based telescopes around the world showed that Dimorphos’ orbital period around Didymos was reduced by approximately 32 minutes. The change was substantial enough to be independently confirmed by multiple observatories and aligned with pre-impact models of kinetic impact deflection.
This marked the first time a change in the motion of a natural celestial body had been experimentally verified and directly caused by human action. To confirm the result, astronomers performed continuous photometric monitoring before and after the impact, comparing brightness variations as Dimorphos passed in front of Didymos and measured small differences in the orbital period.
Scientists at the Maydanak Observatory contributed time-series photometry from the Central Asian longitude, helping to fill observational gaps in the global tracking network.
“Almost one hundred scientists from observatories around the world contributed observations,” explained Ergashov. “Our role was to obtain photometric data from Maydanak before and after the impact and to help refine the measurements of the orbital period.”
The combined dataset from the participating observatories was then used in international analyses that confirmed the deflection.
NASA Recognition and the Future of Planetary Defense Research
Awards like NASA’s Group Achievement Award recognize coordinated scientific and technical contributions between institutions, rather than focusing on a single organization.
According to Ergashov, the experience will also serve as a foundation for future work tracking near-Earth objects, studying asteroid rotation, and researching orbital debris – areas increasingly linked to global space security.
Burkhonov believes the project can also inspire young researchers. “It’s necessary to involve young people in scientific work,” he noted. “Our experiment increases the interest of young people in science and strengthens the confidence of young researchers.”
For the scientists involved in the DART campaign, the mission represented not only a scientific advancement but also a model for how a distributed network of observatories can contribute to large-scale space experiments. Participation in the DART follow-up observations reflects Uzbekistan’s growing integration into international astronomical research networks.
