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NASA’s NEOWISE mission, which detected near-Earth objects (NEOs), was shut down on August 8, 2024
NEOWISE's end paves the way for the upcoming NEO Surveyor mission
NEOWISE
NEOWISE started life as a different mission, simply called WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer)
It was designed to study the infrared radiation from distant galaxies in the universe.
Later repurposed to detect asteroids and comets in addition to its original task of studying distant galaxies.
Discovered over 3,000 NEOs and contributed fundamental data for planetary defence.
Ended its operations due to the thickening ionosphere, which made it impossible to maintain its orbit
NEO Surveyor
A future mission designed to discover and track two-thirds of all NEOs larger than 140 meters in diameter.
Developed by NASA
Scheduled for 2027.
Goal: To fulfill the mandate of discovering 90% of these potentially hazardous objects to better protect Earth from potential collisions.
What is the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
A NASA mission that demonstrated the ability to change an asteroid's trajectory.
DART is a low-cost spacecraft
It has two solar arrays and uses hydrazine propellant for maneuvering the spacecraft.
DART impacted the asteroid Dimorphos (moon of asteroid Didymos) in 2022 to test technology for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids.
Significance: Showed that it is possible to alter the path of asteroids, which could be used in future efforts to prevent Earth collisions
It also carries about 10 kg of xenon which is used to demonstrate the agency’s new thrusters called NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster–Commercial (NEXT-C) in space.
The spacecraft carries a high-resolution imager called Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation (DRACO).
Images from DRACO will be sent to Earth in real-time and will help study the impact site and surface of Dimorphos
DART carry a small satellite or CubeSat named LICIACube (Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids).
LICIACube is to capture images of the impact and the impact crater formed as a result of the collision.
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