Belfast astronomer at ground control on mission to stop asteroid strike on Earth

Professor Alan Fitzsimmons. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA

A Belfast-based astronomer has said a planetary defence mission with which he is involved will help scientists gather new data to potentially enable them to deflect asteroids which could crash into Earth

Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, from the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, has recently returned from ground control of the European Space Agency (ESA) Hera mission at the European Space Operations Centre in Germany.