Planetary Defense at NASA
In 2016, NASA established the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) to manage the agency's ongoing mission of finding, tracking, and better understanding asteroids and comets that could pose an impact hazard to Earth. Here you can stay informed about the PDCO, NASA's Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program, and upcoming planetary defense flight missions, including NASA'S NEO Surveyor mission.
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Planetary Defense by the Numbers
Monthly update with latest metrics on NASA's search for NEOS.
Asteroid Watch
News and updates from NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
NEO Surveyor
An infrared space telescope designed to accelerate NASA's search for NEOs.
News
Near-Earth Asteroid 2024 YR4
NASA continues to monitor asteroid 2024 YR4, which previously had a very small chance of Earth impact in 2032.
Background Information
Learn more about asteroid 2024 YR4 and why NASA’s planetary defenders are keeping an eye on it.
Planetary Defenders
NASA’s Planetary Defenders is a gripping documentary that delves into the high-stakes world of asteroid detection and planetary defense by journeying alongside NASA’s dedicated team of scientists, astronomers, and engineers who discover, track, and monitor near-Earth asteroids to safeguard Earth from potential impacts. Available now on NASA+ and other streaming platforms.
Learn MoreNEO Surveyor
Mission Website
Learn more about NASA’s upcoming NEO Surveyor mission, which is being designed to help NASA accelerate its search for potentially hazardous asteroids and comets.
Planetary Defense Missions
NEO Surveyor
Designed to help NASA discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that come within 30 million miles of Earth.
DART
The world's first demonstration of asteroid deflection technology.
