The meeting revealed a diverse range of UK activities in the field of asteroid impact hazard and mitigation. The degree of UK involvement in this field may not always be visible, but to use ESA’s three pillars model, the meeting featured UK work in: pillar 1 (Detect) with groups in Cranfield, Edinburgh, and Queen’s University of Belfast reporting, pillar 2 (Assess) with Cranfield and Strathclyde reporting, and pillar 3 (Mitigate) with Edinburgh, Queen’s Belfast and Strathclyde reporting activity in the field. Other speakers showed how the actual impact flux can be estimated from past and present events (Kent and the Natural History Museum), with impact modelling an on-going activity at Imperial. Since this meeting was only a snapshot, other UK groups are also undoubtedly actively contributing to this work. The UK already has a presence in some international fora. For example, the UKSA is a member of SMPAG, where it is represented by Massimiliano Vasile (one of the organisers of this meeting). But since the risk of asteroid impacts does not appear in the UK’s National Risk Register, no significant resources flow into supporting this work. Other international groups also exist, such as the International Asteroid Warning Network IWAN, but there is no UK representation on the steering committee of this body. Again, without a clear UK strategy and funding, it is not clear if such membership could hold more than a watching brief, but even that would be welcome. One regret expressed by the audience at the end of the day was that there had been so many talks, that there was no time available for a full discussion of the many issues raised. The need for a further, longer UK meeting was therefore suggested, which as well as highlighting the relevant UK activities in the field, could discuss how to leverage current work into a larger scale UK contribution internationally. Meanwhile, those who are interested can always attend the next IAA Planetary Defence Conference.• © 2023 Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
