NEOSSat

World's first satellite dedicated to detecting asteroids and space debris

Circling the Earth every 100 minutes, Canada's most recent micro-satellite will scan space near the Sun to pinpoint asteroids well before they pass near our planet.

NEOSSat, the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite, has two missions:

• Discover asteroids and comets orbiting the Sun and crossing Earth's orbit.
• Identify and track satellites and debris orbiting high above the Earth to increase global understanding of crowded space traffic.

The Canadian Space Agency is working with Defence Research and Development Canada on this high performance satellite. It carries a small, 15 cm, telescope able to detect satellites and debris in Earth's orbit as well as faint asteroids against the dark background of space.

Dr. Alan Hildebrand of the University of Calgary, is the lead scientist on the NEOSSat mission to spot and track comets and asteroids. Canadian and American institutions are also collaborating on the mission. A science team from Defence Research and Development Canada leads the other mission that will identify and track debris and satellites.

Mississauga-based Dynacon Inc., is the prime contractor for the NEOSSat spacecraft.

For more information, please visit the NEOSSat mission website www.neossat.ca