In the grand scheme of things, this type of mission wouldn't cost that much, but so far, nobody has made the decision that making sure Earth doesn't get hit by an asteroid is worth an investment of a few hundred million dollars.
In the grand scheme of things, this type of mission wouldn't cost that much, but so far, nobody has made the decision that making sure Earth doesn't get hit by an asteroid is worth an investment of a few hundred million dollars.
This is not true. NASA spent over $300 million to test DART, an anti-astroid planetary defense system.
Late last year, NASA approved development of NEO Surveyor, an infrared telescope that will search for near-Earth objects from Sun-Earth L1. NASA estimates that it will launch in 2028 and cost $1.2 billion.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-confirms-neo-surveyor-for-2028-la...
Like the mayor giving a press conference in front of the zoo saying “Most of the large, maneating lions are thought to have been located”.