Planetary Defense Interceptors

Planetary Defense Interceptors

Kinetic impactors and lasers for asteroid deflection.

Dedicated space- and ground-based interceptor systems designed to nudge or fragment hazardous near-Earth objects on multi-year timescales. Combining precision tracking telescopes with rapid-launch vehicles, they form the hard infrastructure layer of planetary defense against impact events.

Technology Readiness Level
4
Validation
Impact
5
Very High
Investment
4
High
Category
Hardware
Physical devices and infrastructure.