Ten asteroids named in honour of ESA’s planetary defence work

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

ESA s Planetary Defence team article — *^{ESA’s Planetary Defence team}*

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved the naming of ten asteroids – and one comet – after people and places linked to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) efforts to protect Earth from potentially hazardous space rocks.

One of the newly named asteroids, provisionally known as 2021 FE40, has been designated (810657) ESOC, after ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. For nearly six decades, ESOC has overseen Europe’s most ambitious spacecraft missions, from Earth orbit to distant planetary encounters. It also serves as the administrative hub for ESA’s Space Safety Programme, which includes the Planetary Defence Office.

Discovered in March 2021 by astronomer Erwin Schwab and ESA’s former Head of Planetary Defence, Detlef Koschny, asteroid ESOC is estimated to be between 600 and 1,300 metres across – at least twice the size of the ESOC campus itself. It orbits the Sun beyond Mars.

Speaking at a ceremony in Darmstadt, ESA’s Director of Operations Rolf Densing said: “The naming of these asteroids after ESA sites, astronomers, mathematicians, mission analysts and others honours the great work of the Planetary Defence Office and all the teams involved in studying asteroids and using the knowledge gained to protect our planet.”

Asteroids named after ESA people and places in 2025 article

Other names approved in 2025

The list of newly named asteroids includes:

(126247) Laurafaggioli – honouring Laura Faggioli for her work on orbit determination and risk assessment.
(126248) Dariooliviero – named after Dario Oliviero for his contributions to operational data provision.
(296587) Ocaña – recognising Francisco Ocaña’s career achievements in planetary defence.
(457818) Ramírezmoreta – for Pablo Ramírez Moreta’s research in astronomy and planetary defence.
(826631) Frascati – named after the Italian city that hosts ESA’s European Space Research Institute and the Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre.
(438881) Michaelkhan – honouring former ESA mission analyst Michael Khan.
(386618) Accomazzo – for Andrea Accomazzo, ESA’s former Head of Mission Operations.
(321480) Juanluiscano – named after Juan Luis Cano, engineer and project manager for several asteroid mission studies.
(241373) Richardmoissl – honouring Richard Moissl, current Head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Office.

In addition, a newly discovered comet, P/2025 W3 (Kresken), has been named after astronomer Rainer Kresken.

How asteroids are named

Asteroids are initially given a provisional designation based on the date of discovery. Once their orbits are confirmed, they receive a permanent number, after which discoverers can propose a name. The IAU’s Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature reviews submissions, ensuring they follow strict guidelines: names must be pronounceable, non-offensive, and typically limited to 16 characters.

Traditions also exist within asteroid families – Jupiter’s Trojans, for example, are named after figures from the Trojan War.

With these latest additions, ESA’s role in planetary defence has been permanently inscribed in the skies, reflecting decades of work to monitor and mitigate the risks posed by near-Earth objects.