NASA Marks June 30 Meteor and Asteroid Days as 2027 NEO Surveyor Launch Nears
Updated
Updated · NASA · Jun 30
NASA Marks June 30 Meteor and Asteroid Days as 2027 NEO Surveyor Launch Nears
3 articles · Updated · NASA · Jun 30
Summary
June 30 puts NASA’s twin focus on public skywatching and planetary defense, with Meteor Watch Day paired with International Asteroid Day ahead of peak summer meteor showers.
NASA used the observance to stress that meteoroids are an operational hazard: even small fragments can damage spacecraft, prompting continuous tracking, modeling, radar observations and lunar impact monitoring.
1908’s Tunguska explosion underpins Asteroid Day’s warning about near-Earth threats and the need to detect hazardous asteroids and comets before they approach Earth.
Fall 2027 is the earliest launch target for NEO Surveyor, NASA’s first space telescope built specifically for planetary defense, using infrared sensors to find dark objects and those lurking near the Sun.