LIVE: NASA's DART mission
(CNN) --
NASA's DART mission intentionally crashed into an asteroid in humanity's first test of planetary defense.
The impact occurred at 7:14 p.m. ET as planned, and there were cheers at NASA Mission Control in Laurel, Maryland, as people watched the historic mission, the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
While asteroid Dimorphos was not at risk of hitting Earth, this demonstration could determine how to deflect space rocks that could pose a threat to Earth in the future.
It will be some time before NASA can determine whether the impact was able to successfully change the asteroid's orbit, a critical goal of the mission.
Asteroid