SAN FRANCISCO, June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- B612 Foundation today announced the recipient of the annual Schweickart Prize, a program that recognizes original student proposals seeking to advance humanity's understanding of and preparedness for asteroid impacts. This year's honor goes to a forward-thinking proposal advocating for the creation of the Panel on Asteroid Orbit Alteration (PAOA), an international coordination body designed to proactively address the emerging risks of unintended asteroid orbit changes resulting from human space activities.

"The Schweickart Prize, a program of B612, was established to honor the spirit of innovation and collaborative problem-solving exemplified by Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, whose pioneering work in space has continuously pushed the boundaries of human endeavor and safety," said Danica Remy, President of B612 and Co-founder of Asteroid Day. "This year's winning proposal truly embodies that spirit by anticipating a critical future challenge in space and offering a thoughtful, actionable solution to safeguard our planet."

The winning proposal, developed by students Jordan Stone (Imperial College London), Jim Buhler (University of Santiago de Compostela), Youssef Saleh (Cairo University), and Kosuke Ikeya (Imperial College London), highlights the increasing likelihood of human space activities – including asteroid mining, scientific research missions, and even spacecraft malfunctions – inadvertently altering the orbits of near-Earth objects. The creation of the PAOA is proposed as a vital step to mitigate these potential risks. This international body would be tasked with establishing comprehensive scientific, technical, and policy guidelines to manage such risks, ensuring a coordinated and effective planetary defense response as the space industry continues its rapid expansion.

"As humanity ventures further into space, the potential for unintended consequences grows," stated Jordan Stone, lead on the winning proposal. "The PAOA can serve as a critical international framework, fostering collaboration among nations and experts to ensure that our pursuit of space exploration and resource utilization is conducted responsibly, without jeopardizing Earth's safety. We are incredibly honored to receive the Schweickart Prize for this timely and essential initiative."

The Schweickart Prize recognizes individuals or teams of students whose work demonstrates exceptional foresight and addresses complex issues at the intersection of space exploration, planetary defense, and global cooperation. The award aims to foster innovative solutions that protect our planet and ensure the long-term sustainability of human activities in space.

Honorable Mentions: B612 also extends its recognition to the other outstanding proposals that demonstrated significant merit and innovative thinking in addressing critical aspects of planetary defense. This year's honorable mentions include:

• Asteroid Impact Guidance and Information System, by Chloe Long (University of Colorado Boulder), Anivid Pedros-Faura (University of Colorado Boulder), Rahil Makadia (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
• YOSO (You Only Stack Once) for Detecting Unseen NEO Threats, by Nitya Pandey (University of Chile)

The official presentation of the physical museum quality prize and the $10,000 USD award will take place at a public ceremony at Lowell Observatory on June 30th, coinciding with Asteroid Day. Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart and B612 President Danica Remy will present the prize in person to Jordan Stone at this special event. The public is warmly welcome to join this special event to celebrate the winners, and also at Meteor Crater. To learn more about the joint Asteroid Day programs at Meteor Crater and Lowell, see here. Additionally, Imperial College London will host an event in the fall to honor Jordan and the team, made possible with financial support from B612.

Further details on the winning proposal can be found at schweickartprize.org. Event information for Flagstaff Asteroid Day at Meteor Crater and Lowell Observatory is available on the Asteroid Day Arizona website.

About B612 Foundation and the Schweickart Prize

The Schweickart Prize, a program of B612, is an annual award to foster a new generation of leaders in planetary defense and to encourage ideas to help protect Earth from potential asteroid impacts. The prize is named after Russell "Rusty" Schweickart, renowned Apollo 9 astronaut, co-founder of the Association of Space Explorers, and co-founder of B612. For more information, visit Schweickartprize.org. The founding sponsors who have generously funded the Schweickart Prize program include Anousheh Ansari, Barringer Crater Company, Future Ventures, Geoffrey Notkin, Jurvetson Family Foundation, Meteor Crater, Randy Schweickart and Michelle Heng, and Rusty B. Schweickart and Joanne Keys.

Since 2002, B612 has developed tools and technologies to understand, map, and navigate our solar system and protect our planet from asteroid impacts through its Asteroid Institute program and supporting educational programs, including Asteroid Day and the Schweickart Prize. Leadership Circle members, including Laurie Girand and Scott McGregor, William K. Bowes, Jr Foundation, Tito's CHEERS, and Maryann and John Montrym, alongside Founding Circle and Asteroid Circle members and individual donors from 46 countries, support the work financially. For more information, visit B612foundation.org or follow on social: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky.