UN calls for global coordination on asteroid defence

The United Nations called Wednesday for the formation of an international network to monitor the threat posed by asteroids and other near-Earth objects. Experts from the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) meeting in Vienna said they are drafting a proposal for such a coordinated response and are establishing two working groups to consider defences against large objects that could impact the Earth. “We need to do a better job in preparing ourselves for that,” said Lindley Johnson, who heads the near-Earth objects programme at the US space agency NASA. The 11-day meeting comes amid renewed focus on the hazards of large space objects, following last week’s meteor strike in Russia and asteroid near-miss.