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Space

New satellite will be first asteroid sentinel in space

By Jacob Aron

20 February 2013

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Cosmic warning shot

(Image: PA)

TALK about a near miss. Next week the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will launch the world’s first dedicated asteroid-hunting satellite – just after one of the hottest events in space rock history: a surprise meteor that exploded over Russia on 15 February.

The Canadian telescope has been years in the making, so it is pure chance that it will blast off hard on the heels of that big event. But the meteor, paired with a close fly-by of asteroid 2012 DA14 on the same day, has whetted the appetite of government…

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