Thousands of near-Earth asteroids are still hiding in our Solar System, and some could be large enough to cause devastating regional destruction.

NASA has already proved that humanity can change an asteroid’s orbit. The DART mission successfully demonstrated asteroid deflection. But there is a much bigger problem: you cannot deflect an asteroid you do not discover in time.

In this SPACE FANS documentary, we explore one of the biggest unsolved problems in planetary defense: finding dangerous near-Earth objects before they become an emergency.

We investigate how astronomers search for asteroids, why some objects are incredibly difficult to detect, how the glare of the Sun creates a dangerous observational blind spot, and why dark asteroids can remain almost invisible to traditional telescopes.

At the centre of the story is NASA’s NEO Surveyor, a dedicated infrared space telescope designed specifically to search for near-Earth asteroids and comets. We explore how its infrared detectors work, why observing from space changes the search, and how the mission could dramatically improve humanity’s ability to discover potentially hazardous objects years or even decades before a possible impact.

We also examine the science behind asteroid impact probability, potentially hazardous asteroids, orbital calculations, Pan-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, NEOWISE, DART, international asteroid warning networks, and what would actually happen if astronomers discovered an object on a concerning trajectory toward Earth.

Because planetary defense is not only about building a spacecraft capable of moving an asteroid.

It is about seeing the danger early enough to do something about it.

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