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June 24, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSENATE RESOLUTION 792—DESIGNATING JUNE 30, 2026, AS “ASTEROID DAY”
Mr. KELLY (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Moran) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 792
Whereas asteroids and other near-Earth objects could strike
Earth causing damage, injury, and loss of life;
Whereas asteroids are also a valuable resource for
scientific exploration, offering insights into the origins of
our solar system;
Whereas Asteroid Day, observed annually on June 30, raises
public awareness about asteroids, their potential impact, and
the importance of planetary defense;
Whereas June 30 commemorates the 1908 Tunguska event in
Siberia, the largest recorded asteroid impact in modern
history, which flattened more than 2,000 square kilometers of
forest;
Whereas, on February 15, 2013, the Chelyabinsk asteroid
entered Earth's atmosphere undetected and exploded in a
meteor air burst over central Russia, releasing as much
energy as 30 atomic bombs, and injuring more than 1,500
people;
Whereas Asteroid Day was established following the
Chelyabinsk incident and recognized by the United Nations
General Assembly in 2016, underscoring the global
significance of risks near-Earth asteroids can pose;
Whereas the Association of Space Explorers, an
international organization of astronauts and cosmonauts, has
raised global awareness of asteroid impact hazards through
initiatives such as the International Asteroid Warning
Network and the Space Missions Planning Advisory Group;
Whereas the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, funded by the
National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, is
conducting the Legacy Survey of Space and Time and is
expected to discover millions of unknown asteroids and solar
system objects, expanding humanity's catalog of near-Earth
objects and planetary defense;
Whereas the emerging field of asteroid resource utilization
may inspire interest in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics;
Whereas asteroid detection, deflection, and exploration
provide real-world educational opportunities, connecting
scientific principles to the challenge of protecting Earth;
Whereas citizen science programs, amateur astronomy
communities, and informal science education initiatives have
meaningfully contributed to asteroid discovery and
monitoring, demonstrating the value of public participation
in planetary defense;
Whereas public polling has found that roughly 6 in 10
Americans consider monitoring potentially hazardous asteroids
to be among the highest priorities of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this
preamble as “NASA”), reflecting broad and durable public
support for planetary defense investment;
Whereas the United States plays a leading role in global
efforts to detect, track, and mitigate near-Earth object
threats;
Whereas NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office leads
the United States Government's efforts to detect, track, and
coordinate domestic and international responses to
potentially hazardous near-Earth objects;
Whereas NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission
demonstrated for the first time that kinetic impact can alter
the trajectory of an asteroid, representing a milestone in
planetary defense;
Whereas NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission, a space-
based infrared telescope currently in development, is
designed to accelerate the detection and characterization of
potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that come within
30,000,000 miles of Earth;
Whereas the United Nations has designated 2029 the
International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary
Defense, timed to coincide with the close approach of
asteroid Apophis;
Whereas, in April 2029, asteroid Apophis will pass within
approximately 20,000 miles of Earth, closer than many
operational satellites, offering a rare opportunity to study
an asteroid at close range through NASA's OSIRIS-APEX
mission;
Whereas the United States, through the Asteroids 2029 U.S.
Node, coordinated by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics
Laboratory, is playing a leading role in the International
Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defense by bringing
together educators, scientists, and communities across
disciplines and nations to advance the shared goal of
protecting Earth from asteroid impact risks;
Whereas asteroid 2024 YR4, discovered in late 2024, posed
one of the highest recorded probabilities of Earth impact of
any known object, prompting coordinated monitoring that ruled
out any threat to Earth in early 2026, demonstrating the
importance of early detection and international coordination;
Whereas continued investment in asteroid detection,
planetary defense research, and public awareness remains
essential to protecting life on Earth; and
Whereas the timely, accurate, and secure sharing of
asteroid detection data with governments and foreign partners
is essential to emergency preparedness, scientific
coordination, and global stability, including the ability to
identify a near-Earth object event as non-hostile and
distinguish it from other potential threats: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) designates June 30, 2026 as “Asteroid Day”;
(2) encourages increased public awareness about the risks
posed by near-Earth objects and the importance of asteroid
research, detection, tracking, and planetary defense; and
(3) supports continued efforts to improve capabilities to
identify and respond to such threats.