SCIENCE COUNTDOWNS / NASA / NEO SURVEYOR
NEO Surveyor Launch Countdown
A new infrared search for nearby asteroids
NEO Surveyor will search for hard-to-see near-Earth objects using infrared light, with launch planned no earlier than September 2027.
Until the earliest published launch month begins
WHERE THE MISSION STANDS
The threshold ahead.
NASA's NEO Surveyor is a space telescope designed for planetary defense. Its infrared measurements will help find and characterize near-Earth asteroids and comets, including dark objects that reflect little visible light. NASA and JPL currently list launch no earlier than September 2027.
Finding an object is the beginning of a measurement problem. Position observations constrain its orbit, while infrared information helps estimate its size. Discovery, orbit refinement and impact-risk assessment are related steps, but finding a previously unknown asteroid does not itself mean Earth faces an imminent collision.
WHY THE SCIENCE MATTERS
Questions worth returning for.
What can infrared reveal that visible light misses?
Sun-warmed asteroids emit infrared radiation even when their surfaces are dark in visible light. Comparing the two kinds of measurement helps explain why an infrared survey can complement ground-based searches.
Why do follow-up observations matter?
A first detection samples only part of an object's motion. Further observations improve the orbit estimate and make future-position predictions more useful. Follow the evidence as that uncertainty changes.
How is discovery different from deflection?
NEO Surveyor's role is detection and characterization. A survey expands knowledge of the nearby population; it is not an asteroid-deflection spacecraft or a prediction that a newly detected object will strike Earth.
CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION
Follow the thread.
Explore related investigations, Evidence Files, image stories and films.
DATE & SCIENCE SOURCES
NASA and JPL list launch no earlier than September 2027. September 1 at 00:00 UTC is the beginning of the earliest published month, not a scheduled launch day or time. A later launch remains possible; follow NASA for a confirmed window.
Schedule source review: . Check the mission agency for later schedule changes.THE NEXT FILES
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