22nd Meeting of the Steering Committee

22nd Meeting of the
International Asteroid Warning Network
Vienna, Austria
25-26 February 2026 -- Meeting Notes

Attendance

Steering Committee Members
Kelly Fast (NASA/IAWN Coordinator)
Davide Farnocchia (NASA JPL CNEOS - online)
Carson Fuls (CSS - online)
Donovan Mathias (NASA/ARC - online)
Patrick Michel (CNRS - online)
Marco Micheli (ESA NEOCC)
Richard Moissl (ESA)
Matthew Payne (MPC - online)
Vasiliki Petropoulou (ASI)
Michal Zolnowski (6ROADS)
Permanent Observers
Detlef Koschny (SMPAG Chair)
Romana Kofler (UNOOSA)
Gonzalo Tancredi (IAU - online)
Additional Attendees
Gerbs Bauer (UMD, SBN)
Ed Baker (ESA)
R. Sivakumar (ISRO)

Campaign Activities Recap

2025 FA22 Characterization Campaign (Sept 16 - Oct 30, 2025)

  • Seventh IAWN observation campaign
  • 130 participants; 28,000+ astrometric and photometric observations

3I/ATLAS Comet Astrometry Campaign (Nov 27, 2025 - Jan 27, 2026)

  • Preparatory workshop: Nov 10, 2025 (170+ attendees)
  • Close-out meeting held following SC meeting
  • Two summary articles in preparation

Future Planning

  • (99942) Apophis - three observation phases before April 2029 close approach during International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defense.

The Steering Committee reviewed the high interest in the 3I/ATLAS Comet Astrometry Campaign by non-astronomers and determined that future IAWN campaigns will be open only to IAWN members and affiliates of IAWN institutional members. This will be included in general campaign announcements and participant meeting invitations.

Additional Guidance:

  • Individuals with specific campaign-relevant expertise should be permitted (and sometimes encouraged) to join IAWN on case-by-case basis if their organizations are not members of IAWN
  • Emphasis on maintaining astrometric data quality standards for MPC submissions
  • Discussion of potential mini-campaigns/workshops on coordinate verification, altitude measurements, and error bar reporting

SMPAG Report and Communications

  • Discussion of communication protocols for credible impact threats and planetary defense mission preparations
  • IAWN communication activities could integrate mission-related protocols
  • Discussion of potential communications workshop pending completion of forthcoming SMPAG exercise; strong SC support for such a workshop
  • Increased IAWN participation in PDC25 (Planetary Defense Conference) noted positively
  • Discussion of incorporating more technical observational information from IAWN into future PDC exercises

Non-Earth Impacts: Statement on Lunar Impacts

  • Committee Conclusion: IAWN possesses expertise in threat characterization and will disseminate information through established channels (website, STSC reporting)
  • Formal alerts NOT required for non-Earth impacts (unlike Earth-impact procedures)
    • If human presence is threatened, notification may rise to higher level
  • IAWN will maintain "custody" of relevant asteroids and convey information for space safety purposes

2024 YR4 Status Update

  • JWST observations scheduled Feb 18 & 26, 2026 (astrometry at faint magnitudes)
  • Next ground-based opportunity not until June 2028
  • Most likely outcome: lunar impact probability will drop (~20% chance remains until 2028)

UN-SPIDER Engagement

  • UN-SPIDER representatives reported on anticipated response to hypothetical impact threats, emphasizing need for aligned language between technical and emergency response communities.

Orbit Modeling and Analysis Coordination

Committee Determination: Official IAWN contact points for orbit analysis are the designated IAWN analysis centers (NEOCC, CNEOS, MPC, NEODyS). Coordination of orbit-related matters should proceed through these centers.

IAWN Signatory Guidelines

Guidelines finalized for STSC statement and website posting:
General Principle: At Steering Committee discretion, but as general rule, applicants should demonstrate substantial contribution to IAWN.

Criteria:

  1. Optical Astrometry: MPC-approved station code; regular, high-quality observations
  2. Other Contributions: Physical characterization, modeling/orbit computation, other IAWN functions with demonstrated substantial contribution (e.g., peer-reviewed papers, significant observational facilities)
  3. Ongoing Evaluation: Regular SC review of member contributions
  4. Special Cases: Case-by-case consideration for recognized experts not affiliated with IAWN institutions

International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defense (IYAPD) 2029

Current Status (Romana Kofler, UNOOSA):

  • ~50 representatives participating; monthly meetings
  • Vision/goals document in development (4-5 pages)
  • Call for national contact points (PD and outreach)
  • Need for secretariat support (~50% effort for several years)
  • Request for in-kind contributions or funding

Agency Commitments:

  • JAXA: Citizen science outreach activities
  • NASA: Science engagement proposals for US outreach
  • ESA: Contributing outreach documents
  • ASI: Plans to participate
  • CSA: Coordination and leveraging activities
  • UK: Academic coordination; potential TV engagement

Next Meeting: Third Wednesday of each month

Planetary Defense Conference (PDC) 2027

Location: McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Dates: May 3-7, 2027
Contact: pdc2027.ias@mcgill.ca

Exercise Planning:

  • Monthly coordination meetings starting Feb 18, 2026
  • Strong support for another SMPAG/IAWN coordinated exercise
  • Focus on engaging emergency response entities more fully
  • Suggestion to use >10% impact probability scenario to involve emergency response
  • Emphasis on local (Canadian) emergency response engagement
  • IAWN formal information deadline: August 1, 2027

Relevant Links - UN COPUOS STSC 2026