9th IAA PLANETARY DEFENSE CONFERENCE 2025

This paper builds on the 2024 developments within SMPAG and my recently published arguments in Acta Astronautica and Nature Communications. It offers the scientific community and SMPAG delegates a comprehensive roadmap aimed at fostering cooperation in the event of an asteroid being detected on a collision course. The proposed approach seeks to mitigate the challenges typically posed by...

Planetary defense, the protection of Earth from hazardous Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) such as asteroids and comets, has emerged as a critical interdisciplinary challenge that intersects space technology, international law, and global cooperation. Current frameworks like the Outer Space Treaty (1967) \cite{dembling1967evolution} and its associated conventions establish principles for the peaceful...

Most efforts to look at Planetary Defense have only considered protecting the Earth. But there are now concrete plans to establish human settlements and other significant infrastructure on the surface of the Moon over the course of the next several decades. This puts the people – and strategic assets – there at risk from asteroid impacts.

The past several decades have seen our species make...

Abstract
The main aim of planetary defense is to keep Earth safe from any possible asteroid collision which is an essential component of space exploration. The particular issue of liability can be raised by conducting such missions while the existing international legal framework lacks any such treaty, laws, rules, or regulations regarding liability from planetary defense missions. This paper...

Deflecting a hazardous near-Earth object (NEO) away from Earth impact may be done using a variety of techniques. Deflections may be categorized according to whether they are designed to be accomplished, in principle, with a single action, or whether they are designed to require multiple actions spread across time.

An NEO might be deflected with a single kinetic impactor (KI) or a single...

Theoretical studies have considered use of nuclear explosive devices (NEDs) to deflect hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs) for decades. Questions about how this would work in international relations, especially with respect to the Outer Space Treaty and the Partial Test Ban Treaty, have lingered though—making policy planning and international discussions difficult. Many discussions conclude...

Keywords: planetary defence, nuclear weapons,NPT, legality

Numerous so-called asteroid impact mitigation techniques have been and continue to be discussed. The range of proposed measures goes from gravity tractors to destruction or deflection of asteroids through nuclear explosions.
Especially when faced with very large objects and only a short warning time, the latter option – namely the...

Keywords: Impact Effects, Political, Legal, Social and Economic Consequences, United Nations.

Abstract
The virtual object of the 2025 PDC exercise assumes an asteroid of about 200 Meters diameter, approaching Earth at 14 km/s with a possible impact in 2041. The risk corridor is a north-south line from northeastern Europe across the Mediterranean, the Sahara, and central Africa towards...

Keywords: Value Focused Thinking, VFT, Planetary Defense Strategy, Brazil

ABSTRACT
Recognised as a leader in Latin America, whether for economic, political or territorial reasons, Brazil has worked to ensure its autonomy in the space sector, despite budgetary constraints and operational difficultie. This is made possible by the National Policy for the Development of Space Activities...