2022 KL6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 KL6 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.
2022 KL6 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, 2022 KL6 is probably between 0.007 to 0.031 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2022 KL6's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2022 KL6 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2022 | 2,723,027 | 3.382 |
| Feb. 14, 2026 | 29,066,841 | 1.520 |
| June 8, 2026 | 14,363,283 | 5.879 |
| March 16, 2077 | 17,505,796 | 6.565 |
| March 29, 2081 | 4,650,247 | 3.815 |
| March 19, 2085 | 13,435,391 | 5.700 |
| March 10, 2089 | 29,709,316 | 9.008 |
| June 2, 2146 | 6,012,955 | 4.073 |
2022 KL6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 27, 2022. It was last officially observed on June 7, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 54 observations used to determine its orbit.
2022 KL6 can be reached with a journey of 410 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.619 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 198,571 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 KL6.
The position of 2022 KL6 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.