NEOMIR

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

NEOMIR
Mission typeSpace telescope for planetary defense
OperatorESA
Start of mission
Launch date2030s (planned)[1]
RocketAriane 62
Main telescope
Diameter55 centimetres (22 in)[2]
Assessing the threat posed by asteroids
Proposed ESA Space Safety Fleet

NEOMIR (Near-Earth Object Mission in the Infrared) is a proposed planetary defense space telescope under development by the European Space Agency (ESA). If approved, NEOMIR will be placed into the Sun–Earth Lagrange point L1 in order to have a constant view of Near-Earth Asteroids coming toward Earth from the direction of the Sun. By observing in the infrared, NEOMIR will detect the heat emitted by asteroids that isn't drowned out by sunlight. This mode of observation will fill a gap in current asteroid-detection capabilities. Its launch is planned for early 2030s on Ariane 62 rocket.[3][4][5][1][6][7][8]

Objectives

[edit]

The mission will look closer to the sun compared to NASA's NEO Surveyor. NEOMIR will have shorter exposure times and higher cadence of revisit, this will ensure that faster NEOs are not missed. NEOMIR will be able to detect NEOs as small as 20-25 m at 0.1 AU, or at least 3-4 weeks before impact.[8]

Telescope

[edit]

NEOMIR will be equipped with a cryogenically cooled three-mirror anastigmat telescope, with a mirror size of 55 cm. It will observe the sky in two infrared bands. One at 4-6 μm and the other at 6-10 μm.[2] The shorter wavelength band is used for better astrometry and the longer wavelength band is optimised for a thermal emission of a blackbody with a temperature of 300 K (27 °C; 80 °F).[8]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "NEOMIR: finding risky asteroids outshone by the Sun". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  2. ^ a b Conversi, L.; Licandro, J.; Delbo, M.; Fitzsimmons, A.; Muinonen, K.; Muller, T.; Popescu, M.; Tanga, P.; Berthelsen, L.; Föhring, D.; Micheli, M.; Moissl, R. (August 2023). "NEOMIR: ESA's Space-Based NEO Infrared Mission". Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference. Bibcode:2023LPICo2851.2121C.
  3. ^ Voices, EarthSky (2023-02-19). "Detecting asteroids near the sun with NEOMIR". Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  4. ^ "ESA is Building an Early Warning System for Dangerous Asteroids". Universe Today. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  5. ^ Fiaschi, Marco (2023-02-28). "NEOMIR will find dangerous asteroids hidden from the Sun | Space Voyaging". Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  6. ^ "NEOMIR: a space based infrared mission for NEO detection, characterization and early warning | Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias • IAC". www.iac.edu.es. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  7. ^ NEOMIR: PROJECT STATUS OF ESA’S SPACE-BASED INFRARED MISSION FOR NEO DETECTION EARLY WARNING
  8. ^ a b c Conversi, Luca; Koschny, Detlef; Moissl, Richard; Micheli, Marco; Fohring, Dora (2023). "NEOMIR: an NEO early-warning, space-based mission". 2nd NEO and Debris Detection Conference.