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Paris Observatory joins Asteroids2029, the global initiative for the United Nations International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence

3 juillet 2026

On the weekend of June 27, Damya Souami, Research Scientist at LIRA, represented Paris Observatory at an international meeting held in Luxembourg by the Asteroid Foundation. She met with representatives from 25 countries as well as envoys from ESA, JAXA, and NASA, gathered to prepare for the United Nations International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence.

This International Year, named Asteroids2029, builds on the exceptionally close approach of the asteroid Apophis in April 2029 to raise public awareness of planetary defence issues. The initiative was officially launched on June 30, bringing together more than 70 experts from space agencies, scientific institutions, and educational organizations worldwide.

Asteroids2029 collaborators meet at Asteroid Day in Luxembourg. Front (left to right) : Patrick Michel, Terik Daly. Back (left to right) : Nishita Sanghvi, Juan Luis Cano, Gianluca Masi, Romana Kofler, Alex Karl, Anna Bordus, Alissa Haddaji, Damya Souami, Etienne Haddaji, Sean Blair.

Paris Observatory is directly involved in this effort. Researchers from LIRA and LTE are taking part in ESA’s RAMSES mission, dedicated to the close observation of Apophis. LIRA and LTE are also organizing, in partnership with IPGP, the scientific meeting "Apophis T-2," scheduled for the week of June 14, 2027.

Read the full press release : http://www.asteroids2029.org/

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