Athira Sethu
Kochi, 28 March 2025
NASA is developing a $1.4-billion spacecraft known as the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor. It is an infrared telescope intended to spot asteroids and comets that might harm our planet. It will launch in 2027 and have a goal of locating 90% of threatening space rocks in ten years. Through the use of infrared technology, the spacecraft will be able to spot asteroids that are undetectable to traditional telescopes on Earth.
Asteroids have landed on Earth before, with one famously killing off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. More recently, in 2013, an asteroid exploded over Russia’s Chelyabinsk, causing destruction and injuring more than 1,600 people. These episodes highlight just how much of a priority it is to monitor and observe these space rocks.
The NEO Surveyor is what NASA is turning to in order to avoid a catastrophe. Although asteroids have been detected using ground-based telescopes, they are not able to detect asteroids in the black sky. The NEO Surveyor will utilize infrared technology to detect the heat of asteroids, which will make it much simpler to find them.
Right now, astronomers have identified around 2,500 near-Earth asteroids larger than 140 meters. These large asteroids could wipe out entire cities, but there may be at least 25,000 more waiting to be discovered. The goal of the NEO Surveyor is to identify at least 90% of these dangerous objects within the next decade.
The spacecraft will be situated at L1, a position in space around a million miles from Earth, where it won’t have any interference as it scans the sky. It will then assist astronomers to monitor asteroid trajectories and provide them with sufficient time to prepare methods to avoid a catastrophe.
If an asteroid can be spotted early on, it’s possible to prevent it. NASA’s recent mission, DART, demonstrated that crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid alters its trajectory. Alternative solutions, such as coating an asteroid or employing a spacecraft’s gravity, also have the potential to deflect it.
The earlier we detect an asteroid threat, the longer we have to react. The NEO Surveyor is our best instrument for getting ahead and avoiding a lethal asteroid impact.
