Blue Origin and NASA Inaugurate NEO Hunter Mission to Protect Earth

Blue Origin has officially partnered with researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the Near-Earth Object Hunter or NEO Hunter mission to thwart asteroids that may be on a collision course with Earth. The mission is designed based on NASA’s existing planetary defence strategy. It will utilise Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft, equipped with ion beam deflection and kinetic impact technology to protect Earth from dangerous space objects. The NEO Hunter mission is still in the conceptual phase, but the planned approach involves using Blue Ring satellites to host various asteroid deflection technologies. These technologies include ion beam deflection and direct kinetic impact to alter the trajectory of space rocks that pose a potential hazard to Earth. Blue Origin explains that the mission has two separate phases. In the first phase, NEO Hunter will release nanosatellites to characterise potential space object threats. Then, using a powerful ion beam emitter, the spacecraft will fire charged particle beams at the asteroid to alter its orbit. The operation in this first phase is similar to that used in NASA’s DART spacecraft. The ion propulsion engine will release charged particles to propel the spacecraft. Subsequently, the ion beam can direct a stream of atoms that theoretically can change the direction of an object in space. The subsequent phase will only apply if the asteroid cannot be affected by the NEO Hunter’s ion emission. In this second phase, NEO Hunter focuses on using strong kinetic disruption strategy. NEO Hunter will set a course to intercept the targeted asteroid at high speed, up to 22,600 mph, to collide with the space rock. Before the spacecraft collides with the asteroid, NEO Hunter will release a small satellite named “Slamcam” to document the mission. This technique was previously used by DART, which NASA crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022. DART effectively altered Dimorphos’s orbit and changed the orbit of its binary pair, Didymos, to orbit the sun. Protecting the planet from asteroid impacts has become an increasingly important priority for space agencies worldwide. Although astronomers have not identified any imminent threats, public interest in space threats is growing. If an asteroid ever poses a serious threat to Earth, NASA and space agencies worldwide have spent years building planetary defences against dangerous space rocks. For example, JPL has been tracking asteroids or comets with orbits close enough to Earth to be considered threats. NASA is also working on an asteroid hunter telescope, NEO Surveyor, to find near-Earth objects capable of causing significant damage, which will be launched in September 2027. This partnership between Blue Origin and NASA will add a step in providing protection for Earth by strengthening Earth’s planetary defence capabilities. Blue Origin will also launch the large New Glenn rocket in early 2026, which has the potential to be used to carry out the NEO Hunter mission.