The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently made headlines for the completion of testing procedures for its new spacecraft, the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout). The spacecraft has been safely stored in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, awaiting its launch.
The NEA Scout: An Overview
The NEA Scout is a CubeSat, a minimized form of spacecraft, developed under NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program. The AES Program aims to develop prototype systems rapidly, demonstrating essential capabilities, and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond low-Earth orbit.
NEA Scout’s Mission
The NEA Scout is entrusted with the mission of collecting data from a near-Earth asteroid. The spacecraft will take roughly two years to reach the asteroid and will be operating about 93 million miles away from Earth during its encounter with the asteroid. This will mark America’s first interplanetary mission using solar sail propulsion, a system that uses solar energy, akin to wind, to generate thrust and propel the spacecraft forward.
Participation in Artemis I Project
The spacecraft is one of several payloads included in Artemis I, expected to launch in November 2021. Artemis I is an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket, marking the beginning of a series of increasing complexity missions aimed at enabling human exploration to the Moon and Mars.
Solar Sail Propulsion and the Journey to Moon
NEA Scout will deploy an 86-square-meter solar sail on reaching the Moon and gradually spiral out of lunar orbit. Following this, it will travel to a near-Earth asteroid, performing a slow fly-by while capturing detailed images of the asteroid’s surface.
The Importance of NEA Scout’s Mission
The pictures gathered by NEA Scout will offer critical insights into the asteroid’s physical properties such as orbit, shape, volume, rotation, the surrounding dust and debris field, as well as its surface properties. Additionally, this mission will lay the groundwork for the Solar Cruiser, set to use a sail 16 times larger when it flies in 2025.
Impact on Future Strategies
Studying Near-Earth asteroids is essential in creating strategies for minimizing potential damage caused by an asteroid impact. The data collected can be used to determine risk reduction measures, enhance effectiveness, and improve the design and operations of robotic and human space exploration.
Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)
NEOs are comets and asteroids that get pulled into orbits in Earth’s neighborhood due to the gravitational attraction of nearby planets. NEOs occasionally approach the Earth closely during their orbit around the Sun. NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Study (CNEOS) monitors these objects, providing timely updates about their proximity to Earth.
Asteroids: An Overview
Asteroids are small, rocky objects orbiting the Sun. They are also referred to as minor planets. There are around 994,383 known asteroids, believed to be remnants from the formation of the solar system over 4.6 billion years ago. They are divided into three categories: those in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Trojans (asteroids sharing an orbit with a larger planet), and Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). Of these NEAs, more than 10,000 are known to cross the Earth’s orbit, designated as Earth-crossers, with over 1,400 classified as Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs). PHAs have parameters indicating their potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.
Last Modified: February 15, 2024