The new NASA NEO Surveyor has entered its construction phase.

(Photo : Screenshot from NASA's official website )
NASA's NEO Surveyor Enters Building Phase! Estimated Completion Date, Other Details

This means that the asteroid-detecting space telescope is now being built by the international aerospace union.

The new NEO (Near-Earth Object) Surveyor would greatly help NASA when it comes to identifying asteroids, especially those that could harm Earth.

"NEO Surveyor represents the next generation for NASA's ability to quickly detect, track, and characterize the potentially hazardous near-Earth object," said NASA PDCO Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson.

NASA's NEO Surveyor Enters Building Phase!

According to Space.Com's latest report, the NEO Surveyor is the successor of NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer).

(Photo : Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
The silhouette of US engineer and NASA astronaut Megan McArthur is seen past the NASA logo in the Webb Auditorium at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP)

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NASA Gov announced on December 22, 2022, that the NEO Surveyor space telescope could pass rigorous programmatic and technical reviews.

As of writing, the parts being built by NASA are the NEO Surveyor's hypersensitive infrared detectors.

These detectors are capable of finding asteroids that reflect infrared lights.

They can identify the space rocks' shapes, rotations, and compositions as well.

Aside from these detectors, NASA is also developing struts and radiators so to protect the detectors. 

Unlike the recent radiator models, the new radiators can cool themselves passively. Meanwhile, the struts are designed using materials that don't overheat.  

NASA is expected to complete the new NEO Surveyor around 2028, with a scheduled launch date of June 2028.

About NASA NEO Surveyor

NASA said that the new NEO Surveyor space telescope can detect asteroids coming from the Sun's direction. 

It can also identify space rocks that lead and trail Earth's orbit (aka Earth Trojans). 

Amy Mainzer, the mission's survey director, said that this is the first time NASA is developing new methods to protect Earth from asteroids. 

But, before the space agency can protect the planet from hazardous space rocks, Mainzer said they must be identified first. 

This is why the development of the NEO Surveyor is a big deal for NASA. 

While NASA is working on its new space telescope, the aerospace union is also busy with other space activities. 

Previously, the NASA James Webb Space Telescope captured a mysterious star-forming region. 

We also reported that NASA and SpaceX plan to bring the Crew-6 to ISS as early as February. 

For more news updates about NASA and its upcoming technologies, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

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