We advance planetary defense for the Earth–Moon infrastructure era by integrating detection, rapid characterization, and risk assessment of near-Earth objects. Our work focuses on decameter-scale impactors and cislunar domain awareness, translating astronomical discovery into practical, decision-relevant readiness.
The ability to detect and physically characterize decameter-scale objects represents a significant expansion of the observable small-body population. These objects are far more numerous than kilometer-scale asteroids and are more sensitive to collisional, thermal, and dynamical evolution.
Using facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope, we advance:
This regime provides new insight into asteroid family formation, meteorite origins, and the physical processes that shape the inner Solar System.
Detection alone is insufficient without rapid characterization and orbit refinement. Our Planetary Defense Project integrates ground-based facilities to enable coordinated follow-up and tracking.
Key capabilities include:
This infrastructure ensures that observational discoveries can be translated into precise orbital solutions and physical constraints.
Beyond individual objects, our Planetary Defense Project focuses on population-level understanding. The decameter regime offers a unique window into:
By combining space-based and ground-based observations and statistical modeling, we aim to construct a physically grounded picture of small-body evolution across timescales.
Planetary defense is undergoing a structural transition. Smaller objects, once largely unobservable, are now within reach of modern facilities. At the same time, Earth's orbital environment has become densely populated with satellites critical to communication, navigation, climate monitoring, and national security.
The Planetary Defense Project integrates probability refinement, dynamical modeling, and debris-environment analysis to assess not only impact likelihood, but also potential consequences for Earth's space infrastructure.
Lunar impacts represent a particularly important case. Ejecta from sufficiently energetic impacts can alter the near-Earth debris environment and interact with satellite constellations. Understanding these processes requires coordinated physical modeling and observational validation.
The forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory will dramatically increase the volume of small-body detections. Our network is developing scalable detection, classification, and characterization pipelines capable of operating in high-throughput regimes.
These efforts include:
The goal is to ensure that increased sensitivity leads to improved physical inference and responsible operational assessment.