The European Space Agency (ESA) is working on the NEOMARE mission, a telescope located between the Earth and the Sun to serve as an early warning system for asteroids at least 20 meters in diameter, which are “invisible” to telescopes on Earth. The mission should launch in the mid-2030s with an Ariane 6-2 rocket of the Ariane suite.
Hidden by the sun’s glare, an unknown number of asteroids are following unobserved paths and may be heading towards Earth. Such was the case with the meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013: the space rock was relatively small, but it came from close to the direction of the Sun and went unnoticed until it exploded in the atmosphere.
Thinking of filling the asteroid detection gap, the European Space Agency is developing the Neumere mission. It will be launched towards the Lagrangian point 1, between the Sun and the Earth, and will be in the same position relative to the two bodies; Thus, the telescope will be able to identify possible asteroids that follow the Earth, coming from the direction of the Sun.
In addition to being far away from Earth’s atmosphere, which prevents some types of observations, Neumeir will have a telescope capable of making observations in infrared light. It will observe a kind of “ring” close to the Sun that is impossible to notice on Earth, and since it will work with the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum, it will be able to detect heat radiating from asteroids.
These emissions are not blocked by sunlight, but will be absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. As it will be in space, Neumeir will be able to observe the area, surpassing the capabilities of telescopes on Earth. Mission resources can result in the identification of asteroids less than 20 meters across at least three weeks in advance — and if any asteroid is detected near the observatory, a space rock alert will be sent at least three days in advance.
source: ESA
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