Small Bodies Assessment Group: 34th SBAG Meeting Draft Findings

Keith’s note: the following was issued by Terik Daily, chair of the SBAG (Small Bodies Assessment Group): “Dear Colleagues, The draft findings from this month’s 34th Meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group are now available for community comment: Community feedback on the draft findings will be taken until Sunday, February 8. After that date, the findings will be finalized. Please send feedback on the draft findings to the SBAG Chair at terik.daly -at – jhuapl.edu.” (Full document below.)

(1) SBAG encourages NASA to prioritize a broad planetary mission portfolio that sustains a regular cadence of flight opportunities and supports the expert workforce that underpins the entire planetary exploration ecosystem—from planetary defense to future human exploration. The potential for large-scale cutbacks at NASA threatens the fundamental stability of the planetary science and exploration community. Robust partnerships among government, commercial, and academic sectors are essential to develop, grow, and sustain the specialized personnel and technologies required for deep-space exploration. Maintaining a healthy, expert workforce of scientists and engineers depends on a consistent cadence of active space missions and cannot be sustained solely through research and analysis funding during prolonged gaps between mission opportunities. Because competed missions are inherently lean and often share critical infrastructure, even targeted cuts can create a “domino effect” that destabilizes the broader planetary portfolio. Disrupting this mission-driven environment fragments teams and erodes institutional knowledge. Delays and cuts to both strategic and competed missions also jeopardize the training and retention of the next generation of scientists and engineers, making it significantly more difficult to preserve the United States’ leadership and capabilities in deep-space exploration over the long term.

(2) SBAG encourages improved coordination to obtain the highest-quality datasets for high-priority small bodies. Past observing campaigns and planning efforts have demonstrated the substantial benefits of streamlined coordination among ground-based observatories, space-based telescopes, and planetary spacecraft. These advantages also extend within each of these observational categories. Recent campaigns targeting 2024 YR4 and 3I/ATLAS have highlighted both the strengths and limitations of current collaboration networks. For example, space-based observations of 3I/ATLAS were dependent on timely and accurate ground-based astrometric measurements. While the small-bodies community has traditionally addressed observational needs on a case-by-case basis, a more systematic and integrated approach would strengthen future campaigns and increase the likelihood that critical datasets are obtained and made available to the community in a timely manner. Clear coordination procedures will be particularly impactful for future observations of interstellar objects, potential impactors, and other high-priority targets, including Apophis. SBAG suggests formalized coordination efforts for future high-priority observing campaigns led by NASA or relevant collaborations and programs.

(3) SBAG underscores that the United States is currently the only nation with a spacecraft—OSIRIS-APEX—en route to asteroid Apophis and congratulates Japan’s DESTINY+ and ESA’s RAMSES missions on their recent progress. The close Earth encounter of near-Earth asteroid Apophis in 2029 will be a first-of-its-kind event in recorded history. NASA’s New Frontiers–class OSIRIS-APEX mission places the United States at the forefront of this historic opportunity. OSIRIS-APEX will observe Apophis before, during, and after its close approach to Earth, enabling comprehensive characterization of the asteroid’s response to planetary tidal forces. Japan’s DESTINY+ mission, currently planned for launch in 2028, is expected to fly by Apophis prior to its closest approach, while ESA’s RAMSES mission—confirmed by ESA Member States in late 2025—is also planned to launch in 2028 and rendezvous with Apophis ahead of the encounter. SBAG further notes that the UN-endorsed Space Mission Planning Advisory Group has established a first-of-its-kind working group to support coordination among Apophis missions. If these international missions launch and arrive as planned, they would establish new practices for coordinated, multinational small-body exploration and maximize both the scientific and planetary defense value of the Apophis encounter. However, spacecraft development and launch inherently carry risk, and OSIRIS-APEX remains the only mission currently in flight.

(4) SBAG urges NASA to continue working with interagency partners to develop near-term plans to upgrade, construct, and operate planetary radar facilities with sufficient redundancy to meet planetary defense needs, in collaboration with domestic and international partners. Following the loss of the Arecibo Observatory in 2020—the world’s most powerful planetary radar—Goldstone became the only active planetary radar system supporting planetary defense observations. Recent equipment damage and upcoming planned maintenance of Goldstone’s 70-meter antenna will result in extended downtime and severely limit the nation’s ability to obtain radar observations of near-Earth objects (NEOs) until repairs and upgrades are completed. As noted in Findings #2 from SBAG 27, #7 from SBAG 30, #5 from SBAG 31, #6 from SBAG 32, and #4 from SBAG 33, the absence of a robust planetary radar capability poses a significant risk to post-discovery physical and orbital characterization of NEOs.

(5) SBAG highlights the United Nations designation of 2029 as the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defense. While the close Earth flyby of asteroid 99942 Apophis provides a compelling focal point for this international observance, planning efforts should also emphasize the broader importance of asteroid science and planetary defense. SBAG encourages members of the small-bodies community to engage in international, national, and local activities—through public events, outreach, and education—to raise awareness of asteroids and near-Earth objects and their scientific significance. Active participation in this United Nations observance presents a valuable opportunity to elevate the profile of small-body research and broaden public understanding beyond a single asteroid.

(6) SBAG strongly recommends that NASA conduct a comprehensive audit and provide a transparent accounting of all current and planned Deep Space Network (DSN) demands to identify potential capacity gaps, enable proactive mission planning, and ensure that all mission needs can be met. The community remains concerned that it is unclear whether the DSN’s finite capacity will be sufficient to accommodate increasing demand from high-priority human spaceflight activities without significantly impacting other missions. As a critical asset supporting interplanetary missions, Earth-orbiting spacecraft, and radar astronomy, the DSN faces a growing risk of congestion as Artemis and associated rideshare missions require extensive coverage. While certain operational workarounds exist for limited or delayed DSN access—such as onboard data storage or reschedulable trajectory control maneuvers—these measures are not always optimal, are limited in scope, and cannot mitigate risks associated with time-critical events such as orbit insertions. As part of its DSN capacity assessment, NASA should also evaluate the need for infrastructure expansion and assess the urgency of increasing antenna availability, particularly assets such as the Goldstone 70-meter antenna, which has become the primary facility supporting small-body radar science following the loss of Arecibo.