Why is this relevant?
Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are comets and asteroids (space rocks) that are approaching the Earth or are in an orbit in close proximity to Earth. They played a role in the evolution of our planet, and, still today, they enter the Earth’s atmosphere regularly.
The possible risks of large space rocks entering the Earth’s atmosphere have led to EU efforts to track and study NEOs. These efforts will help to better understand the risks involved with NEOs. This is useful for potential future NEO missions should a deflection procedure be required to reduce the likelihood of a collision with Earth.
NEO means monitoring the risk of natural objects, such as space rocks in the solar system, which are approaching the Earth
What is NEO?
NEO is a subcomponent of the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) component of the EU Space Programme. It aims at coordinating and improving European capabilities and activities related to the monitoring of space rocks whose orbits approach or cross the Earth's orbit.
To this end, the EU supports activities that
- map Member States' capabilities to detect and monitor NEOs
- promote networking among Member States' facilities and research centres through a yearly conference
- develop a European catalogue of physical properties of NEOs
- study potential missions for a rapid response service
Latest News - NEO
On 6-8 October 2025, DG DEFIS and ESA held this year’s edition of their annual workshop on Near-Earth Objects (NEO). This year’s three-day workshop, attended by over 100 participants, explored ways to improve the quality and reliability of astrometric and radar observations of NEOs.
DG DEFIS and ESA met for this year’s edition of their annual workshop on Near-Earth Objects (NEO). This year, the three-day workshop explored ways to determine the size of potentially hazardous NEOs, i.e. space rocks approach the Earth or entering the atmosphere of the Earth.
On 21-22 November 2023, DG DEFIS and ESA met for this year’s edition of their annual workshop on Near-Earth Objects (NEO). This year, the two-day workshop explored how to increase the awareness of emergency response agencies for potential threats emanating from NEOs approach the Earth.
On 12-14 December 2022, DG DEFIS and ESA met for this year’s edition of their annual workshop on Near-Earth Objects (NEO). This year, the three-day workshop explored the possibilities of increasing the networking of parties involved in the process of discovering, acknowledging and following up NEOs,
