As 2025 comes to a close, the Asteroid Institute hosted a public progress briefing to highlight this year’s major milestones, showcasing our team’s achievements in advancing asteroid research tools, public engagement, and planetary defense initiatives.

Former NASA astronaut Dr. Ed Lu, B612 President Danica Remy, and our Asteroid Institute engineering team were joined by special guest and former NASA astronaut Steve Smith to share an overview of this year’s work:

• ADAM Platform Launch – This year marked the public release of the ADAM Platform, a suite of astrodynamics tools now available through an interactive dashboard and API. Researchers—including teams at the Rubin Observatory—have already begun using ADAM to study asteroids such as 2024 YR4, extend observational arcs, and assess orbital risks.
• Community Engagement – Throughout the year, our engineering team participated in a range of planetary defense activities, including sponsoring the Planetary Defense Conference and hosting a hackathon in Seattle, where they shared our work and collaborated with fellow researchers and students.
• Schweickart Prize 2025 – Presented during Asteroid Day’s 10th anniversary, this year’s prize recognized a team of graduate students whose proposal advocated for the creation of an international panel to manage asteroid-orbit risks.

The progress made this year was possible thanks to donors around the world. We are especially grateful to our Leadership, Asteroid, and Founding Circle members whose support helps sustain the team and its ongoing work. 

Asteroid Institute brings together scientists, researchers, and engineers to develop tools and technologies to understand, map, and navigate our solar system. A program of B612 Foundation, the Asteroid Institute leverages advances in computer science, instrumentation, and astronomy to find and track asteroids. Join our global community of supporters and make a donation today.