NEOCam

NEOCam
Name	NEOCam
Mission type	Asteroid survey
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	Proposed 4–6 years
Launch mass	~600 kg
Launch date	Proposed (canceled/revived history)
Orbit	Sun–Earth L1 or Earth-trailing orbit proposals
Instruments	Infrared telescope (4–5 μm band)

NEOCam is a proposed infrared space telescope concept designed to discover and characterize near‑Earth objects and minor planets. The project has been developed through partnerships involving NASA programs, private industry, and academic investigators, with proposals and reviews spanning agencies such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the NASA Glenn Research Center, and contractors including Ball Aerospace and University of Arizona teams. NEOCam aims to augment surveys by facilities like the Pan-STARRS observatory, the Catalina Sky Survey, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission.

Mission overview

NEOCam was conceived to address recommendations from bodies including the National Research Council and the U.S. Congress's Planetary Defense initiatives by accelerating discovery of potentially hazardous asteroids cataloged by programs such as the Spaceguard Survey and endorsed by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Proposed orbits explored by the project ranged from a Sun–Earth L1 Lagrange point station to an Earth-trailing orbit similar to that used by the Spitzer Space Telescope, each assessed during reviews by panels from the NAS and the DoD liaison offices. The mission concept underwent competitive selection through solicitations like the Discovery Program and the Near-Earth Object Observations Program managed by NASA.

Spacecraft and instrumentation

The spacecraft bus designs drew on heritage from platforms used by missions such as WISE, Spitzer Space Telescope, and elements from the Lucy and NEOWISE reactivation projects, with payload contractors including teams from Ball Aerospace and detector contributions from institutions like the Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica and the University of Rochester. The core instrument is a 50–70 cm aperture infrared telescope optimized for the 4–5 μm thermal emission window, employing HgCdTe or similar infrared arrays analogous to detectors used on JWST and Herschel (space observatory). Thermal control, cryogenic cooling approaches, and straylight suppression were informed by experiences on Infrared Astronomical Satellite and AKARI (satellite).

Science objectives and capabilities

Primary objectives included discovery, orbit determination, and size/thermal-property characterization of near‑Earth asteroids and comets, contributing to catalogs maintained by the Minor Planet Center and informing mitigation studies discussed at forums like the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the Planetary Defense Conference. NEOCam’s mid‑infrared sensitivity targeted dark, low‑albedo objects that are underrepresented in optical surveys by Pan-STARRS, LSST (now Vera C. Rubin Observatory), and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey; its measurements would complement reflectance data from observatories such as the Arecibo Observatory radar campaigns and optical photometry from Kitt Peak National Observatory and Mauna Kea Observatories. Secondary science avenues encompassed study of main‑belt asteroids cataloged since the era of Heinrich Olbers and investigation of comet nuclei similar to targets of Deep Impact and Rosetta.

Operations and mission timeline

Operational concepts included survey cadences, follow‑up coordination, and data downlink strategies orchestrated with networks like the Deep Space Network and collaborations with observatories including Palomar Observatory and Very Large Telescope. Timeline proposals encompassed design reviews parallel to programs such as New Frontiers and mission phases akin to those on Dawn (spacecraft), with contingency planning informed by earlier proposals that experienced funding reviews by NASA HQ and advisory panels including the Science Mission Directorate. Community engagement through conferences like the American Astronomical Society meetings and workshops at the Space Telescope Science Institute shaped observing strategies and prioritization.

Data processing and products

NEOCam data products were planned to integrate with archival systems maintained by the Planetary Data System and the International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center, producing calibrated infrared photometry, astrometry, thermal models, and alerts comparable to pipelines used by WISE/NEOWISE and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey projects. Processing algorithms would reuse heritage software from teams at institutions like Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the University of Arizona; products intended for public release included moving object catalogs, orbit solutions, and thermal‑model derived diameters and albedos to support investigations by researchers at MIT, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and others.

Collaborations and program management

NEOCam’s management structure involved coordination among federal stakeholders such as NASA, advisory entities including the National Science Foundation and the National Research Council, and industrial partners from aerospace firms like Ball Aerospace and detector specialists tied to universities and research labs including Lockheed Martin Space subcontractors. International collaboration opportunities were discussed with groups from agencies like the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, mirroring cooperative frameworks used for missions such as Cassini–Huygens and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Programmatic reviews, cost assessments, and community prioritization were informed by the Decadal Survey processes and recommendations from panels convened by the Space Studies Board.

Category:Proposed space telescopes