// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Asteroid
A small, rocky object that orbits the Sun, much smaller than a planet. They are often irregularly shaped and lack atmospheres.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
An asteroid is a minor planet, typically rocky and airless, orbiting the Sun, primarily found in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, or as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), remnants from the early solar system formation.
BACKGROUND
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the operator of the Japanese space program and Japan's national aeronautics research agency. It was formed in 2003 through the merger of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Minor planet
- rock
- space rock
- planetoid
USAGE NOTE
Asteroids are a target for resource extraction and planetary defense missions.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Asteroid.
A startup focused on asteroid mining, developing technology to identify, retrieve, and process materials from near-Earth asteroids for use on Earth and in space.
A U.S. government agency that leads scientific exploration and planetary defense related to asteroids, developing missions like OSIRIS-REx (sample return), Psyche (metal asteroid orbiter), and DART (asteroid deflection test).
Japan's national space agency, a pioneer in asteroid sample-return technology with its successful Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions to asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu.
Develops technologies for space logistics and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), including optical mining for harvesting resources from asteroids and providing in-space propellant.
Manages asteroid-related programs for planetary defense and science, including the Hera mission to study the aftermath of NASA's DART impact and the NEO Coordination Centre for tracking near-Earth objects.
A research center that designs, builds, and operates robotic space missions. APL led the development and operations for NASA's DART mission, the first to demonstrate asteroid deflection technology.
The technical program of the B612 Foundation, dedicated to developing the software and computational tools required to map and navigate the solar system to protect Earth from asteroid impacts.
A non-profit scientific research institute whose scientists are leaders in the study of asteroids and are involved in numerous NASA and international missions for asteroid exploration and characterization.