Tokyo: The U.N. General Assembly has reportedly set up an international network to monitor near-Earth objects and alter their trajectories to prevent impact.
The General Assembly approved the plan, after Yasushi Horikawa, technical counselor of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and chairman of the U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space presented it to the U.N. in October, which will allow countries to respond jointly for the first time to threats posed by near-Earth objects, the Japan Times reported.
The plan involves the creation of an International Asteroid Warning Network that would link astronomical observatories and radar facilities around the world to ensure the discovery, tracking and observation of near-Earth objects.
The plan also envisages establishing a Space Missions Planning Advisory Group that would consider measures to alter the trajectories of such objects via rockets and unmanned space probes.
Until now, most studies on dealing with asteroids and lunar and Martian meteorites have been conducted individually.
