Advanced Space Unveils Rapid Response Architecture for Planetary Defense 

Advanced Space combines deep space operations expertise with mission solutions leadership to assess Near-Earth Object (NEO) threats and response options. 

WESTMINSTER, CO, 6 May 2026 – Advanced Space recently completed a feasibility study demonstrating that a spacecraft can be designed, launched, and deployed to conduct fast flyby reconnaissance of potentially hazardous Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). This capability addresses a critical gap in planetary defense readiness: the ability to rapidly characterize threatening objects and inform mitigation strategies.  

Advanced Space leveraged its unique expertise as a “thin prime” in deep space mission design and navigation to develop a flexible architecture that can respond to newly discovered NEOs within weeks to months of callup. The mission concept combines proven commercial spacecraft systems and flight-ready hardware to meet aggressive schedule requirements while maintaining mission effectiveness. The study primarily examined 2024 YR4 as a demonstration target, a 53-to-67-meter-diameter asteroid that garnered significant public attention. While recent observations indicate 2024 YR4 will not impact the lunar surface as initially projected, the flexible mission architecture developed through this analysis can apply to any NEO. Advanced Space identified over 100 suitable candidate asteroids and demonstrated that the rapid reconnaissance system can address more than 90% of the potentially threatening NEO population. 

At the core of this capability is Advanced Space’s navigation expertise, proven on missions like CAPSTONE^TM. The team demonstrated that ground-based navigation combined with autonomous spacecraft pointing can deliver a spacecraft to an accuracy of 25 km for a 12 km/s flyby of an asteroid, enabling high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy to determine size, shape, composition, and other critical properties needed for impact modeling and deflection planning. This study aligns with growing Congressional and agency-level interest in planetary defense capabilities, as evidenced by recent hearings and resolutions emphasizing the importance of asteroid detection and characterization.  

Advanced Space’s rapid response architecture provides the United States with an operational capability to answer the question: if we discover a threatening asteroid tomorrow, can we get there in time to understand what we’re facing? 

The answer is unequivocally yes.