By 
June 25th, 2026
Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.
Image credit: B612 Foundation/Danica Remy
This year’s winning proposal for the Schweickart Prize is “Untold Threats: A Worldwide Call to Defend New Frontiers.”
Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart is the namesake of the Schweickart Prize and is a program of the B612 Foundation.
The winning proposal addresses a growing challenge for the future of space exploration: protecting satellites, lunar operations, and other space-based assets from natural hazards such as meteoroid activity and impact-generated debris.
Furthermore, the proposal outlines a framework for international collaboration to better understand these risks and strengthen the resilience of critical space infrastructure.
Image credit: B612 Foundation
Planetary defense
The 2026 Schweickart Prize has been awarded to Brian Murphy and Richard Cannon of the University of Edinburgh. Their proposal spotlights the importance of planetary defense beyond Earth, and the role of global cooperation in safeguarding humanity’s future in space.
“As human activity and vital interests rapidly expand into regions beyond the protective shield of our atmosphere,” Schweickart said, “the number of passing objects capable of causing serious damage to both life and critical infrastructure increases dramatically.”
Image credit: Brian Murphy/Richard E. Cannon, University of Edinburgh, Institute for Astronomy and School of Physics and Astronomy; Royal Observatory of Edinburgh
WARDEN: coordinating body
The proposal calls for establishing an International Commission on Space Infrastructure Resilience (ICSIR) to investigate these risks and develop recommendations for the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
Ultimately, the proposal authors envision creating a permanent international coordinating body, termed WARDEN (Warning-network for Asset Resilience from Dusts, Ejecta, and NEOs), to complement existing planetary defense organizations and coordinate the protection of humanity’s assets beyond Earth.
The winning proposal was unveiled via a June 23 online event that can be viewed at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_gTOStKQbQ
To review the proposal – “Untold Threats: A Worldwide Call to Defend New Frontiers” — go to:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xSKUNAOABuRsg2p4mUXt9T-8mUlMYvXh/view
The official presentation of the physical museum-quality prize and the $10,000 award will take place at a public ceremony at Lowell Observatory on June 27, coinciding with Asteroid Day Arizona activities.
For details on Asteroid Day Arizona activities, go to:
https://lowell.edu/event/northern-arizona-asteroid-day-2026/
Imge credit:
Lowell Observatory
Posted in Space News
