A recent hearing by the UK Science, Innovation and Technology Committee revealed a concerning lack of international protocols for responding to a potential asteroid threat. UK academics highlighted their participation in a NASA and FEMA tabletop exercise which showed agencies are ill-prepared to implement necessary defense missions, even given advance notice. Despite efforts from the European Space Agency and growing involvement from nations like China, there remains no solid legal framework to guide decision-making processes for planetary defense, putting readiness to respond at risk.
"Given how important it would be to make the right call... there's no legal framework or agreement on the decision making protocol for what the response would be?"
"These aren't necessarily the absolute decision makers... the SMPAG is just made up of government space agencies from around the world."
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