NASA Awards SpaceX Launch Contract for NEO Surveyor Mission

Insider Brief

• NASA has selected SpaceX to launch the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission in September 2027 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to detect potentially hazardous asteroids and comets.
• The mission will use a 50-centimeter infrared telescope to identify two-thirds of NEOs larger than 140 meters, improving predictions and planetary defense strategies.
• Recent asteroid 2024 YR4 highlights the importance of early detection, while NASA’s DART mission has demonstrated asteroid deflection capabilities for potential threat mitigation.

NASA has selected SpaceX to launch its Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission, a space telescope designed to detect asteroids and comets that could pose a threat to Earth. The mission, scheduled for no earlier than September 2027, will be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida at a cost of approximately $100 million, NASA has reported.

The NEO Surveyor mission will carry a 50-centimeter infrared telescope capable of detecting both bright and dark asteroids. These objects, known as near-Earth objects (NEOs), travel within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. The mission aims to identify at least two-thirds of the estimated NEOs larger than 140 meters—those capable of causing significant regional damage if they were to collide with Earth.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, established in 2016, will oversee the project, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory leading its development. The mission is part of NASA’s broader planetary defense efforts, which seek to improve early detection and tracking of potentially hazardous space objects.

The mission will conduct a five-year survey using heat-sensitive infrared imaging to measure asteroid sizes, compositions, and orbits. This data will help scientists refine predictions about the potential paths of hazardous asteroids and assess impact risks more accurately.

Most recently, asteroid 2024 YR4 has drawn significant attention due to its fluctuating impact probabilities. Initially given a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth in 2032, further observations lowered that probability to just 0.28%, according to the BBC. NASA now estimates that YR4 is more likely to collide with the Moon, with a 1% chance of impact.

Another notable asteroid, Apophis, was discovered in 2004 and initially caused alarm among scientists due to its 375-meter size and early impact probability assessments. As the BBC reports, Apophis was once considered the most hazardous asteroid ever detected. It took nearly a decade of additional observations to determine that it posed no immediate threat. The uncertainty surrounding Apophis at the time spurred advancements in asteroid tracking and planetary defense initiatives.

The increased ability to monitor asteroids has led to new strategies for impact mitigation. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which successfully altered the trajectory of the asteroid Dimorphos, demonstrated the feasibility of deflecting a potentially hazardous object. However, as scientists note in the BBC report, such methods may not be effective for all asteroids, particularly those with uncertain compositions like YR4.

Multiple aerospace and research institutions are collaborating on the project. BAE Systems SMS, Space Dynamics Laboratory, and Teledyne are involved in spacecraft and instrumentation development. The University of Colorado, Boulder, will support mission operations, while Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center will process survey data. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center will manage the launch process.

The NEO Surveyor mission represents a critical step in planetary defense, using advanced infrared technology to identify threats that are difficult to detect with visible-light telescopes, according to NASA. By mapping asteroid populations and refining impact predictions, NASA aims to enhance global preparedness for potential future threats from space.