2021 LA1

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 6,845,289 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 LA1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 LA1 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.

2021 LA1 orbits the sun every 489 days (1.34 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 LA1 is probably between 0.016 to 0.070 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 LA1's orbit is 0.04 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.

2021 LA1 has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2021 LA1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 3, 2021. It was last officially observed on June 14, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 39 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2021 LA1 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.398 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 711 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 LA1.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 LA1:

• 3361 Orpheus (1982 HR)
• 22753 (1998 WT)
• 137062 (1998 WM)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 LA1 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.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2021 LA1 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.