NASA has selected SpaceX to launch a specialized space telescope designed to track near-Earth objects (NEOs). The agency announced on February 21 that it had awarded a task order under the NASA Launch Services II contract, assigning the Falcon 9 rocket for the launch of the Near Earth Orbit (NEO) Surveyor mission. The contract is valued at around $100 million.
Scheduled for liftoff no earlier than September 2027, NEO Surveyor will be launched aboard a Falcon 9 from Florida. The spacecraft is set to operate from the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 1 (L1), situated approximately 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth, in the sunward direction.
NEO Surveyor is equipped with a 50-centimeter-diameter telescope featuring advanced infrared detectors. These instruments will enable the spacecraft to identify and analyze near-Earth objects, accurately determining their sizes and orbital paths. The mission’s primary objective is to detect two-thirds of NEOs measuring at least 140 meters in diameter within five years. Additionally, it aims to fulfill a congressional mandate of identifying 90% of such objects over a period of 10 to 12 years.
This launch contract was awarded shortly after the $1.2 billion mission successfully completed its critical design review on February 6. With this milestone achieved, NEO Surveyor now advances into the next stages of construction and testing. Currently, the instrument enclosure of the spacecraft is undergoing environmental tests at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Later this spring, these components, along with other essential systems, will be transferred to the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Utah for further integration and evaluation.
The significance of NEO detection has been underscored by recent concerns surrounding asteroid 2024 YR4. Discovered in December, the asteroid was initially estimated to measure between 40 and 90 meters in diameter. Early calculations suggested a small but notable probability of impact with Earth in December 2032. By February 18, the risk of collision had escalated to 3.1%. However, subsequent observations allowed scientists to refine its orbital trajectory, significantly reducing the likelihood of impact. As of February 21, calculations from the Center for Near Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory indicate only a 0.36% probability of the asteroid striking Earth in 2032.
The NEO Surveyor mission represents a crucial step in planetary defense efforts, enhancing our ability to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids while refining our understanding of their movements through space.
