Asteroid-Hunting Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite Into Space (PICTURES)

Asteroid-Hunter Launched Into Space

A suitcase-sized satellite will be launched on Monday to help in our search for deadly asteroids.

The launch comes just two weeks after a dramatic meteorite impact in Russia injured 1,200 people.

The Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite is being launched by the Canadian Space Agency.

NEOSat will try to find and track huge rocks hurtling through space that could endanger Earth. It will also look for space debris in Earth's orbit which could be a threat to satellites and rockets.

The satellite will be able to monitor space in front of the sun - something which is very difficult for ground-based telescopes.

"The project with the CSA is essentially to survey the sky and get the best, improved near-Earth asteroid population and the ones that can sometimes cross Earth orbit," said Denis Laurin, a CSA space astronomy program scientist, reported Space.com.

The satellite cost $25 million, and will orbit the Earth every 100 minutes at an orbit of about 497 miles.

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