Planetary Defense Coordination Office
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 2016 |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Motto | Hic Servare Diem (Latin) "Here to Save the Day" |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent department | Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Science Division |
| Parent agency | NASA |
| Website | nasa |
The Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is a planetary defense organization established in January 2016 within NASA's Planetary Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate. It includes a Near Earth Observations Program which funds telescopic searches and orbit calculations.
Its mission is to look for and catalogue near-Earth objects such as comets, asteroids, and potentially hazardous objects that could impact Earth, as well as help the U.S. government prepare for a potential impact event (and coordinate efforts to mitigate and deflect potential threats if one is detected).