By scanning for infrared signatures from space, NEO Surveyor will broaden the effective detection window and improve early alerts for both asteroids and comets.

NASA and scientists stress that knowing where asteroids are is crucial for taking action, underscoring the role of the new telescope in early detection and risk reduction.

The mission aims to provide advance warning to enable mitigation and will also catalog smaller objects beyond immediate threats to strengthen planetary defense.

NASA authorities warn there could be more than 25,000 near-Earth asteroids large enough to level a city, yet only about 11,500 have been discovered so far, leaving many undetected, especially around 140 meters in size.

Detection gaps persist for small, dark, fast-moving or glare-prone asteroids, meaning impacts could occur with little warning, as highlighted by the 2013 Chelyabinsk event.

NEO Surveyor is slated to launch in late 2027 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, with a goal to identify at least two-thirds of potentially hazardous asteroids within five years and 90% within 10 to 12 years, meeting longstanding congressional mandates.

Even though the chance of a 140-meter asteroid hitting Earth is rare (roughly once in 20,000 years), the risk is real and merits sustained vigilance and investment in technology.

The new space telescope, the Near-Earth Object Surveyor, will detect infrared signatures from space, significantly extending detection distance and warning time.