Workers stand by while an overhead crane moves the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers stand by while an overhead crane moves the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft onto the mobile stand at right. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station.