Bug-eyed telescope ready to find Earth-smashing asteroids
Tech for Life & Work
BY 5. Juni 2025 0 comments

Bug-eyed telescope ready to find Earth-smashing asteroids

It’s only a matter of time before a catastrophically sized asteroid barrels towards Earth again. Until very recently in human history, there was no way of knowing if one was hurtling towards us, much less do anything to alter its path. Now, international space agencies and disaster preparedness experts have powerful tools to keep watch over the skies—and the newest aide just opened its bug-inspired compound “eye.”

According to the European Space Agency, the Flyeye-1 telescope recently completed its “first light” test at the Italian Space Agency’s Space Geodesy Center, located about 160 miles east of Naples. Soon, it and as many as three other similar installations around the world will work in tandem to provide comprehensive, automated surveys of space every night to scan for cosmic threats.

Observations of asteroid (139289) 2001 KR1 made using ESA’s Flyeye telescope. These images were acquired on 21 May 2025 during the telescope's 'first light' campaign. This animation was produced using 31 images, each acquired using an exposure of 60 seconds, over a period of approximately 33 minutes. The object’s apparent magnitude at the time of observation was +19.1. The larger the magnitude, the fainter the object. Credit: ESA
Observations of asteroid (139289) 2001 KR1 made using ESA’s Flyeye telescope. These images were acquired on 21 May 2025 during the telescope’s ‘first light’ campaign. This animation was produced using 31 images, each acquired using an exposure of 60 seconds, over a period of approximately 33 minutes. The object’s apparent magnitude at the time of observation was +19.1. The larger the magnitude, the fainter the object. Credit: ESA

“The earlier we spot potentially hazardous asteroids, the more time we have to assess them and, if necessary, prepare a response,” explains Richard Moissl, Head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Office. “ESA’s Flyeye telescopes will be an early-warning system, and their discoveries will be shared with the global planetary defence community.”

Similar to an insect’s vision (hence its name), Flyeye captures incoming light through its 3.3-foot-wide primary mirror. That light is divided into 16 independent channels, all equipped with their own secondary lens and detector cameras designed to flag extremely faint objects. Flyeye’s automated observation schedule is designed to factor in variables such as lunar brightness along with other survey telescopes like NASA’s ATLAS, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and the forthcoming Vera Rubin Telescope.

Observations of asteroid (35107) 1991 VH made using ESA’s Flyeye telescope. These images were acquired on 20 May 2025 during the telescope's 'first light' campaign. This animation was produced using 16 images, each acquired using an exposure of 60 seconds, over a period of approximately 16 minutes. The object’s apparent magnitude at the time of observation was +16.6. The smaller the magnitude, the brighter the object.
Observations of asteroid (35107) 1991 VH made using ESA’s Flyeye telescope. These images were acquired on 20 May 2025 during the telescope’s ‘first light’ campaign. This animation was produced using 16 images, each acquired using an exposure of 60 seconds, over a period of approximately 16 minutes. The object’s apparent magnitude at the time of observation was +16.6. The smaller the magnitude, the brighter the object. Credit: ESA

So what happens if Flyeye spies a suspicious space rock out there in deep space? The plan is for experts at ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Center (NEOCC) to review and verify any potential concerns. If the situation warrants further investigation, the NEOCC will then forward their report to the Minor Planet Center, a global hub for asteroid data. Subsequent research will lead to international contingency planning, which could involve any number of solutions, such as smacking the asteroid off course with a targeted spacecraft launch.

Before that can happen, Flyeye needed to demonstrate its up to the task. For its first light test, Flyeye focused on multiple known asteroids, including 2025 KQ. Astronomers discovered the space rock only two days earlier, offering direct proof that the telescope is already capable of rapid follow-up observations.

Observations of our neighbouring galaxy, Andromeda, made using ESA’s Flyeye telescope. The image was acquired during the telescope’s ‘first light’ campaign by combining 16 exposures, each of 30 seconds. Credit: ESA
Observations of our neighbouring galaxy, Andromeda, made using ESA’s Flyeye telescope. The image was acquired during the telescope’s ‘first light’ campaign by combining 16 exposures, each of 30 seconds. Credit: ESA

“These images of the sky above the ancient stone hills of Matera, Italy, are more than just a test—they are proof that Flyeye is ready to begin its mission,” ESA said in its announcement.

Flyeye-1 is now on its way for installation on Monte Mulfara in Sicily. If all goes according to plan, the telescope’s first sibling will be up and running sometime in 2028.

 

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Andrew Paul is a staff writer for Popular Science.

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