2018 FT3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 FT3 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.
2018 FT3 orbits the sun every 313 days (0.86 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 1.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 FT3 is probably between 0.008 to 0.034 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 FT3's orbit is 0.03 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
2018 FT3 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 6, 2048 | 9,342,329 | 3.826 |
| Feb. 19, 2054 | 8,311,671 | 3.761 |
| June 26, 2054 | 27,339,275 | 3.584 |
| Feb. 13, 2060 | 7,719,432 | 3.788 |
| June 30, 2060 | 28,377,895 | 3.966 |
| Feb. 9, 2066 | 7,321,557 | 3.852 |
| July 3, 2066 | 29,078,592 | 4.257 |
| Jan. 26, 2078 | 11,216,893 | 6.171 |
| Jan. 27, 2084 | 22,584,127 | 8.800 |
| April 28, 2109 | 27,557,428 | 9.946 |
| April 30, 2115 | 17,070,052 | 7.728 |
| April 29, 2121 | 6,678,811 | 5.344 |
| April 28, 2127 | 5,701,705 | 5.022 |
| April 30, 2133 | 15,605,258 | 7.427 |
| Jan. 30, 2156 | 22,778,013 | 8.928 |
| Jan. 29, 2162 | 10,690,559 | 6.090 |
2018 FT3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 20, 2018. It was last officially observed on March 26, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 26 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 FT3 can be reached with a journey of 202 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.342 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 430,969 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 FT3.
The position of 2018 FT3 is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.