Planetary Defense News

As the infrared space telescope continues its long-duration survey of the universe, it is creating a unique resource for future astronomers to make new discoveries. NASA’s NEOWISE mission has released its 10th year of infrared data – the latest in…

After NASA’s historic Double Asteroid Redirection Test, a JPL-led study has shown that the shape of asteroid Dimorphos has changed and its orbit has shrunk. When NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) deliberately smashed into a 560-foot-wide (170-meter-wide) asteroid on…

During the close approach of 2008 OS7 with Earth on Feb. 2, the agency’s Deep Space Network planetary radar gathered the first detailed images of the stadium-size asteroid. On Feb. 2, a large asteroid safely drifted past Earth at a…

On January 13-14, 2014, representatives from NASA and various global research organizations convened the first meeting of the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) steering committee. This group was charged with strengthening coordinated international response to a potentially hazardous near-Earth object…

The Scout impact assessment system calculated where and when the asteroid 2024 BX1 would impact Earth’s atmosphere, providing a useful demonstration of planetary defense capability. A small asteroid about 3 feet (1 meter) in size disintegrated harmlessly over Germany on…

Save the Date Apophis 2029 Innovation (A29I) Listening Workshop February 7, 2024 Please refer to this web page for any updated information OVERVIEW: NASA’s Agency Chief Technologist (ACT) within the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) is hosting a…

The asteroid and comet-hunting infrared space telescope has gathered an impressive haul of observations, but it’s now at the mercy of the Sun, which is accelerating its demise. NASA’s NEOWISE has had a busy decade. Since its reactivated mission began…

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will be honored with the 2024 Michael Collins Trophy for Current Achievement. For its work developing and managing the first-ever planetary defense test mission, the team comprised by NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) and the…

April 2024 Each month, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office releases a monthly update featuring the most recent figures on NASA’s planetary defense efforts, near-Earth object close approaches, and other timely facts about comets and asteroids that could pose an impact hazard with Earth. Here is what we’ve found for April 2024.

From Impact to Innovation: A Year of Science and Triumph for Historic DART Mission

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets that orbit the Sun like the planets with orbits that come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. NASA established the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) to manage the agency’s ongoing efforts in…

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test​ (DART) was recognized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) with the organization’s newest award — the AIAA Award for Aerospace Excellence — at the AIAA Awards Gala, Thursday, May 18, at the…

To help guide NASA’s efforts over the next decade, the agency today released its Planetary Defense Strategy and Action Plan.

Ed Reynolds, a program manager in the Space Exploration Sector at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, has been named to the 2023 TIME 100 list of most influential people.

In recognition of its successful completion of the world’s first planetary defense test mission, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) has earned the National Space Club and Foundation’s Nelson P. Jackson Aerospace Award, which honors the previous year’s most outstanding…