NASA plans to blow up an asteroid with a spacecraft on Monday night.

The 610 kilogram NASA DART probe will crash into an asteroid to see if it’s possible to destroy it, if it was plummeting towards Earth.

It’s the first planetary defence test that could be used in the future to redirect asteroids hurtling towards Earth.

Lead aerospace professor at Griffith University’s Paulo de Souza explained on 4BC Afternoons the “test” will take place 11 million kilometres from Earth.

But he said for an asteroid to have a “catastrophic effect” on Earth, it would have to be much, much larger.

“I would say around one kilometre in diameter.”

Press PLAY below to hear Professor de Souza explain more about ‘planetary protection’

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