The observing campaign on the deep-space debris WT1190F as a test case for short-warning NEO impacts

TL;DR

This paper describes an observational campaign conducted on WT1190F, a small artificial object, to test methods for early warning and impact prediction of near-Earth objects, providing insights applicable to future natural asteroid impact scenarios.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of ground-based observations in tracking and analyzing small objects like WT1190F as a test case for future natural NEO impact warning systems.

Findings

Successful tracking of WT1190F before atmospheric entry

Validation of observational techniques for impact prediction

Insights into rapid response coordination for NEO threats

Abstract

On 2015 November 13, the small artificial object designated WT1190F entered the Earth atmosphere above the Indian Ocean offshore Sri Lanka after being discovered as a possible new asteroid only a few weeks earlier. At ESA's SSA-NEO Coordination Centre we took advantage of this opportunity to organize a ground-based observational campaign, using WT1190F as a test case for a possible similar future event involving a natural asteroidal body.