Global Scans · Asteroid · Weekly Summary

A global catastrophic risk is a hypothetical future event that has the potential to damage human well-being on a global scale. Some events could cripple or destroy modern civilization. Any event that could cause human extinction is known as an existential risk.

• [New] While the U.S. will be marking its independence, China will be beginning the latest phase of an increasingly ambitious exploration agenda and demonstrating its own autonomy in space, aiming to join both the U.S. and Japan in conducting successful asteroid sample returns. Scientific American
• At present, there are not many noteworthy comets predicted to pass by us in 2026, which has led many to speculate that C/2025 R3 will be 2026's Great Comet - a superlative title often used to describe the brightest comet of a given year. Live Science
• Asteroid Psyche might not be as metallic or dense as scientists once thought. EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world
• Astronomers are keeping an especially close eye on one large space rock because it is expected to pass much closer to Earth in a few years than asteroid 2026 JH2. NBC News
• One of several prolific meteor showers predicted for 2026, the Lyrid meteor shower averages 10 to 20 meteors per hour. Travel + Leisure
• NASA's Psyche spacecraft is preparing for a close encounter with Mars that will help send it deeper into the solar system on its way to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. ScienceDaily
• The Psyche spacecraft is bound for a metal-rich asteroid that it will examine up close starting in 2029. Scientific American
• ESA's Hera mission, which will reach the asteroid Dimorphos and its twin Didymos in late 2026, is continuing its planetary defence studies. Pamfleti
• Preventing asteroid impact risk is a critical part of modern space science and global safety planning. Science Times
• Asteroid Apophis will pass by Earth in 2029, coming closer than geostationary communications satellites, sparking multi-nation action plans for planetary defence. Yahoo News
• AstroForge has announced a second mission - currently targeting a 2027 launch window - that would attempt actual surface interaction with a near-Earth asteroid. Verodate
• Meteor strikes may have played a surprising role in the origin of life on Earth by generating hot, mineral-rich environments where early biological chemistry could develop. SciTechDaily
• Upcoming activities will include asteroid observation missions, crewed spaceflights and tests of reusable launch vehicles. / China OpenGov Asia
• Around 2075, activity would extend to Mars and the main asteroid belt, with more processing in orbit. ECOticias.com
• MIT researchers have developed a groundbreaking asteroid-detection technique that could be crucial in protecting Earth's space infrastructure from the growing threat of smaller asteroids. The Daily Galaxy - Great Discoveries Channel
• Even when there is zero danger, asteroid flybys help scientists improve Earth's planetary defence systems. Moneycontrol
• Following the asteroid phase, Tianwen-2 will proceed to a flyby of comet 311 P/PANSTARRS in 2033. Grokipedia

Last updated: 24 June 2026