Rational
Small imminent impactors are now routinely being detected before impact and allow the support of a new collaborative model for planetary defence. Most pre-impact cases to date are in the metre-range where we can combine pre-entry telescopic observations with atmospheric measurements from fireball networks, radar, infrasound, and space-based sensors. This end-to-end chain provides a unique testbed for linking orbit, entry behavior, and physical properties within a single event. Europe has strong capabilities across all these techniques, but the interfaces between communities remain fragmented. This workshop brings them together to build workflows from detection to characterisation to fireball analysis to combined interpretation, improving both near-term operational readiness and the scientific basis for assessing future impact threats.
Workshop goals
- Map the end-to-end European workflow for imminent impactors: detection, rapid telescopic follow-up, atmospheric observation, and integrated post-event analysis.
- Define coordination interfaces between communities to enable rapid multi-network response.
- Establish how combined pre-impact and atmospheric datasets can constrain trajectory, physical properties, and impact effects for future planetary-defence readiness.
- Build sustained communication channels between the astronomer/planetary-defence comunity and the meteor community, including regular cross-community exchanges, shared terminology, and clear points of contact for imminent-impact events.