The first International Academy of Astronautics Planetary Defense Conference was held in Granada, Spain at the end of April. Their focal point this year was the Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). They are preparing for the near-Earth flyby of asteroid Apophis in 2029. It represents the type of object that poses a serious impact threat. Asteroid Apophis is a huge rock about 270 miles across weighing about 20 million tons. The asteroid crosses Earth’s orbital path and like many others, pose a risk of colliding with the Earth at sometime in the future. That’s why these particular asteroids are called NEOs and are a potential danger to life on Earth.

Preparation for the flyby was discussed by specialists in astrometry, orbital dynamics, physical characterization of asteroids and comets, aerothermodynamics, and impact modeling as well as spacecraft mission designers, risk analysts, systems engineers, and policy-makers. The topic was for interdisciplinary research to deal with the threat of a collision with a NEO. A contest has been organized to allow young researchers to propose and present their work. They will have a chance to work with experts to explore new aspects of asteroid science and engineering.

The new ESA Space Situational Awareness (SSA) was presented at the conference too. They believe that collision odds are low, but the technical capability of stopping a collision is possible and worth pursuing.