The astronomical community shifted its focus from the sky to Washington, D.C., on Monday, June 23, as scientists from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory revealed the telescope’s first images. After a wait of over 20 years, the unveiling did not disappoint following its initial findings.
The observatory, a collaborative effort of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, conducted its first 10 hours of test observations. In this brief period, the observatory captured striking images and identified over 2,000 previously unknown asteroids, including seven near-Earth asteroids. Fortunately, none of these pose a threat to our planet, but the amount of new data gathered has already proven to be transformative for asteroid hunters focused on planetary defense.
Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and inventor of the Torino Scale—a system used for categorizing potential Earth impact events—expressed his excitement, stating, “As this camera system was being designed, we all knew it was going to be breathtaking in what it delivered, but this has exceeded all our expectations.”
The data regarding the 2,000 newly discovered asteroids was promptly sent to the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center (MPC). This organization is globally recognized for cataloging and sharing data on asteroids, comets, and various small celestial bodies. The MPC plays a critical role in the early detection and monitoring of asteroids that could threaten Earth. Matthew Payne, MPC director, shared that they have been preparing for an influx of data from Rubin, developing software capable of processing a massive number of observations. The arrival of the first batch of data on Monday was described by Payne as “nerve-racking and exciting simultaneously.”
This event only marks the beginning of what is expected to come. In the upcoming months, Rubin will initiate the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a ten-year-long, near-continuous survey of the southern sky. This survey is set to produce an incredibly wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the universe. For the MPC, this means receiving approximately 250 million observations annually from LSST, a dramatic increase from the current estimate of 50 to 60 million yearly observations, as noted by Payne.
The remarkable capabilities of Rubin’s observations can be attributed to its advanced instruments. With a unique three-mirror telescope design and the largest digital camera ever constructed, this observatory is capable of conducting all-sky surveys while also identifying very faint objects such as asteroids. This represents a significant advancement beyond existing technologies, according to Payne.
To be effective in tracking space rocks, Peter Veres, an MPC astrophysicist, emphasized the need to “go as deep as possible,” explaining that is exactly what LSST achieves. Remarkably, no survey telescopes worldwide designed for planetary defense currently have this capability. For the duration of the ten-year survey, Rubin will conduct observations using its 27.6-foot (8.4-meter) Simonyi Survey telescope on an automated schedule. Each 30-second exposure from the telescope will encompass an area approximately 45 times the size of the full Moon. The extensive LSST camera will take wide-field images and merge them to provide a complete view of the southern sky every three nights. The combination of Rubin’s expansive field of view, rapid exposure time, and its capacity to quickly scan the sky is expected to result in a plethora of asteroid discoveries, as explained by Veres.
In 2005, Congress tasked NASA with building a near-Earth object (NEO) survey program to detect, track, catalog, and analyze the characteristics of all near-Earth asteroids and comets with diameters of at least 328 feet (100 meters). Such objects, if they were to collide with Earth, could lead to mass destruction on a continental scale, explained Payne. The aim was to identify 90% of these objects by 2020; however, current estimates suggest NASA has only tracked about 40%. LSST has the potential to significantly accelerate this progress, as stated by Payne: “It’s just going to start revolutionizing our understanding of this population of things.”
Binzel echoed this optimism, remarking, “Those objects are out there, whether we see them or not. Now we’re going to see them, and we’ll be able to determine that most—if not all of them—are going to safely pass by the Earth in the coming decades. The best news is that if an object does pose a threat, we will likely be able to identify it many years—if not decades—before it’s on a collision course with Earth.”
In such a scenario, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDOC) would have sufficient time to initiate a mission to intercept the asteroid. Although the PDOC is still in the process of developing this capacity, it successfully demonstrated its deflection ability with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission in 2022. This mission involved sending a spacecraft on a ten-month journey to collide with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, successfully altering its orbital path. Such advancements highlight NASA’s potential to redirect large asteroids away from Earth, should they be detected in time.
Considering the notable implications of Rubin’s discoveries for planetary defense initiatives—and the international attention the observatory has garnered—one might expect NASA to be openly supportive of this new technology. Surprisingly, the agency has remained notably quiet about the observatory’s launch and has seemingly overlooked its recent discoveries.
Keith Cowing, an astrobiologist and former NASA employee who currently serves as editor of NASA Watch, described this reaction, saying, “It’s a warp drive version of finding asteroids. You’d think that the planetary defense people would be in the front row cheering it on, saying, ‘send me the data!’”
NASA has yet to release any public statements addressing the Rubin Observatory’s findings and has chosen to refer inquiries regarding its contributions to planetary defense back to the observatory. On June 24, the Office of the Inspector General issued a report on NASA’s planetary defense strategy implementation and management. This report makes only a brief mention of Rubin alongside NASA’s forthcoming NEO Surveyor, a space telescope intended to identify potential Earth-threatening asteroids.
According to the report, “These new observatories are expected to find and track significantly more NEOs than current capabilities, which will likely mean a substantial increase in necessary follow-up observations.”
Despite the fact that NASA’s PDCO and planetary science program are expected to utilize data collected by the LSST, Cowing questions the reason behind the agency’s lukewarm reception. He suggests that the responses may be indicative of internal challenges within NASA, claiming, “They’re jittery at NASA. Their budgets are being cut from all sides—they don’t know what the final budget will be, but the White House wants to slash it—and they’re having to react to this with whatever is at hand.”
President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal threatens to cut NASA’s science funding by up to 47%, potentially putting more than 40 missions at risk, as reported by The Planetary Society. Cowing notes, “The only good news is what didn’t get shot.”
His observations indicate that many NASA employees, including those involved in planetary defense, may be operating in a state of uncertainty. “What do you do when you simply don’t know if you’ll have a job, if the person next to you will have a job, or if you’re going to need to compete for the same job?” he asked.
This atmosphere of unease appears to be affecting the collaboration and communication that would typically occur across agencies and between countries.
As NASA’s scientific endeavors face various challenges, it remains uncertain whether the agency will have the necessary resources and staff to effectively leverage the data provided by Rubin. While the PDCO has historically led global efforts in planetary defense, this status could be evolving.
Despite these challenges, Binzel expresses optimism about the future of scientific inquiry in the United States, stating, “Great nations do great science. I continue to have faith that our nation will continue to do great science.”
image source from：gizmodo
