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All articles tagged with "planetary-defense"

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© 2026 Developments Today. All rights reserved.

planetary-defense Articles | Developments Today

Simulations explore nuclear mitigation of asteroid threats

LLNL simulations map nuclear options for asteroid emergencies

LLNL researchers modeled asteroid responses to X-ray heating from a nearby nuclear device.
The study distinguishes early-warning deflection from emergency disruption scenarios.
Two of three modeled disruption cases showed strong signs of fragmentation.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 18, 2026·via phys.org

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Image of the deployment of Lightsail 2. Credit - The Planetary Society

Diffractive Solar Sails Could Deflect Killer Asteroids at 100 km/s

DART proved a kinetic impactor can move a small asteroid, but it approached from behind at only about 6 km/s.
Researchers at Beihang University propose using a new type of solar sail to hit an asteroid head-on at around 100 km/s.
A head-on strike could impart roughly 230 times the force per kilogram of impactor mass compared with DART.
The main challenge is reaching a clockwise retrograde orbit, which chemical rockets cannot achieve due to the rocket equation.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Sep 23, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Scientists Say We Should Nuke Dangerous Asteroids—Just Not the Way You Think

China Study Proposes Burying Nukes in Asteroids for Planetary Defense

Chinese scientists propose burying nuclear warheads inside asteroids for destruction or deflection.
Two methods: direct surface impact and pre-excavation burial for deeper detonation.
Effective for asteroids around 330 feet (100 meters) wide.
Kinetic impact (DART) may not work for larger asteroids on short notice.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Jul 9, 2026·via gizmodo.com

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Space Archives - Interesting Engineering

Scientists float a plasma shield idea for solar storm defense

An international team has proposed a space-based plasma airbag concept for extreme solar flare protection.
The supplied extract presents the idea as an ambitious planetary defense proposal rather than an existing system.
The proposal matters because it reframes solar storm risk as a possible engineering-defense problem.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Jun 14, 2026·via interestingengineering.com

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Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth

A newly spotted asteroid will pass closer than the moon next week, but not hit Earth

Asteroid 2026JH2 is expected to pass Earth at about 90,917 kilometers on May 18, 2026.
The object is estimated to be 16 to 36 meters wide.
It was discovered only this week, underscoring how hard small asteroids are to detect.
Astronomers say the flyby is close but not an impact threat.

DE

DT Editorial Team·May 14, 2026·via newscientist.com

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The trail left by the Chelyabinsk fireball from 2013 (Credit : Alex Alishevskikh)

ESA’s MeerKAT Asteroid Guard Has Now Warned of Every Imminent Impactor It Saw Coming

ESA’s MeerKAT Asteroid Guard runs continuously to assess whether newly discovered near-Earth objects pose an impact threat.
The system computes many possible orbits from limited early observations and sends automated alerts when impact probability is significant.
A five-year review says MeerKAT successfully warned of all seven imminent impactors that were discovered before impact during that period.

DE

DT Editorial Team·May 12, 2026·via universetoday.com

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This artist's concept depicts NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor) in deep space (Credit : NASA/JPL Caltech)

NASA’s NEO Surveyor Is Being Built to Find the Asteroids Earth Still Misses

NASA’s NEO Surveyor is being assembled for a planned September 2027 launch.
The mission will detect asteroids by infrared heat rather than reflected light.
It aims to find hazardous near-Earth objects that are dark or hidden near the Sun.

DE

DT Editorial Team·May 8, 2026·via universetoday.com

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A model of the inner Solar System showing the asteroids discovered by Rubin in light teal. Known asteroids are dark blue. Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NSF NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R/NASA/Goddard/ESA/Gaia/DPAC

Rubin Observatory logs 11,000 new asteroids before its main survey even begins

Rubin Observatory identified 11,000 new asteroids before the start of its main LSST campaign.
The early dataset also included 33 previously unknown near-Earth objects, none threatening Earth.
The result suggests Rubin could sharply accelerate Solar System discovery and planetary defense cataloging.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 20, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Private company to land on asteroid Apophis as it flies close to Earth

Private Spacecraft Will Land on Asteroid Apophis in 2029

Asteroid Apophis will pass within 32,000 km of Earth on April 13, 2029 — closer than geostationary satellites and visible to the naked eye
Multiple spacecraft including NASA's OSIRIS-APEX, ESA's Ramses, and private landers are planned for the encounter
Scientists hope to observe for the first time how Earth's gravity tidally deforms a rubble-pile asteroid during a close approach

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 24, 2026·via newscientist.com

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Daily Minor Planet

NASA's Asteroid Hunt Gets a More Powerful Telescope

Daily Minor Planet project expanded to include Bok 2.3m telescope data, detecting asteroids 2-3x fainter
Citizen scientists identify faint moving objects that automated pipelines miss at the detection limit
Deeper, ecliptic-focused coverage will substantially increase near-Earth asteroid discoveries and confirmations

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 15, 2026·2 min read·via science.nasa.gov

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This artist's illustration shows asteroids moving in Earth's vicinity. The Vera Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time will detect many more small rocks that are about to strike Earth, giving ample time for follow-up observations with other telescopes. Not only does this mean we'll learn more about the Near Earth Object population, but we will be able to recover more of them. Image Credit: ESA/P.Carril

Rubin Observatory Will Spot Asteroids Hours Before Impact

Rubin Observatory can detect one-meter asteroids hours before Earth impact
3.2-gigapixel camera surveys entire sky every few nights
Will increase known near-Earth object population tenfold
Enables precise impact site predictions for meteorite recovery

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 11, 2026·4 min read·via universetoday.com

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One of the final images of Dimorphos' surface, taken about 2 seconds (6 miles) before impact of the DART mission. Credit - NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

First Direct Evidence Shows Binary Asteroids Share Material

Fan-shaped patterns on Dimorphos confirmed as material deposited from companion asteroid Didymos
Discovery validates theoretical predictions of material exchange in binary asteroid systems
ESA's Hera mission arriving in 2026 will provide detailed follow-up observations

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 10, 2026·4 min read·via universetoday.com

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NASA changed an asteroid's orbit around the sun for the first time

NASA Confirms It Changed an Asteroid's Solar Orbit

DART impact changed Didymos-Dimorphos system's orbit around the sun
Debris ejecta amplified momentum transfer by several times
ESA's Hera mission arriving in 2026 for detailed post-impact investigation

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 7, 2026·4 min read·via newscientist.com

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This artist's illustration represents the alerts that the VRO generates. Each alert represents something changing in the night sky, from supernova explosions, to active galactic nuclei, to asteroids, to variable stars. Image Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/P. Marenfeld/J. Pinto

Rubin Observatory Poised to Image More Objects Than All Telescopes in History Combined

3.2-gigapixel camera is the largest digital camera ever built
Will catalog 20 billion galaxies and discover 36,500 near-Earth objects over 10 years
Generates up to 7 million alerts per night about changed or new objects
Expected to detect 130 new near-Earth objects every single night
First year alone will image more objects than all previous optical telescopes combined

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 1, 2026·5 min read·via universetoday.com

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