A nonprofit group has announced plans for the first privately funded mission to deep space. The telescope will identify and track 90 percent of the near-Earth asteroids 140 meters and larger, including those that could bash into our planet.
If you’ve got a hankering to protect Earth from wayward asteroids — and a few hundred million dollars to spare — the B612 Foundation would like to talk to you.
On Thursday the non-profit group announced plans to develop and launch the first privately funded deep-space mission, a space telescope that would find and observe 90% of all near-Earth asteroids larger than 140 metres across. The group — named after the mythical B612 asteroid that is home to the fictional character the Little Prince — comprises planetary scientists, engineers, former astronauts and former NASA officials.
The rest of the article can be found in my Nature recent article.