B612 Foundation

What B612 Foundation does

B612 Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 and headquartered in Mill Valley, California, whose mission is planetary defense against asteroid impacts. The foundation operates the Asteroid Institute, which has built the ADAM (Asteroid Discovery Analysis and Mapping) Platform — an open-source cloud-based astrodynamics system running on Google Cloud infrastructure (Kubernetes for orchestration, BigQuery for data handling). ADAM's proprietary THOR algorithm discovers and tracks asteroids without requiring traditional tracklets, and its ASSIST propagator delivers orbit precision comparable to NASA's JPL models; together these tools have enabled the discovery of 27,600+ previously unseen asteroids. Product surface has expanded from core discovery into ADAM::Precovery (archival search), ADAM::Impact Probability (public demo), and ADAM::Ephemeris (hosted position calculations launched May 2026).

The foundation is governed by a board chaired by Peter Schwartz and led operationally by President Danica Remy and Asteroid Institute Executive Director Dr. Edward Lu, supported by a strategic advisory bench that includes former astronauts, Nobel-adjacent astrophysicists (Lord Martin Rees, Roger Blandford), and notable technology figures (Vint Cerf, Jensen Huang, Brian May).

B612 has no commercial product revenue; it is funded through individual donations (credit card, PayPal, crypto via every.org), planned giving and bequests, gifts of stock and appreciated assets, corporate matching grants (notably a $1M challenge grant from Tito's Handmade Vodka in 2022), and a $50-per-discovery "Sponsor an ADAM Discovery" engagement product. Distribution is global via online donation portals and direct mail, while program awareness is driven by co-founded Asteroid Day events at partner venues (Lowell Observatory, Meteor Crater), a newsletter, and earned media.

Name

B612 Foundation

Legal name

B612 Foundation

Website

https://b612foundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

B612 Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds the open-source ADAM astrodynamics platform and Asteroid Institute programs to discover, map, and track asteroids for planetary defense, funded by individual donors, corporate grants, and partners including Google Cloud.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Planetary Defense Software

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Planetary defense research
• Asteroid discovery software
• Astrodynamics platform
• Space science nonprofit
• Asteroid mapping technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Mill Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation receives donations from individual supporters through its online donation portal, accepting credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrency. Donations support the Asteroid Institute programs and ADAM platform development.
2. Planned Giving and Bequests: The foundation accepts bequests and planned gifts which provide tax savings for donors while supporting planetary defense work.
3. Sponsor an ADAM Discovery: Individuals can sponsor asteroid discoveries on the ADAM platform for $50, receiving a custom GIF, certificate, and link to the asteroid's orbit information. All proceeds support asteroid discovery work.
4. Stock and Appreciated Asset Donations: The foundation accepts gifts of stock, valued based on IRS regulations at the mean of high and low value on the day credited.
5. Corporate Grants and Matching Programs: The foundation receives matching challenge grants from corporate partners like Tito's Handmade Vodka ($1 million matching challenge for ADAM development).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

B612 Foundation develops and operates the ADAM (Asteroid Discovery Analysis and Mapping) Platform, an open-source cloud-based astrodynamics platform that enables discovery, mapping, and analysis of asteroids using proprietary algorithms like THOR. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, funding planetary defense research through individual donations, corporate grants, and programs such as the Asteroid Institute and the Schweickart Prize.

Product overview

The B612 Foundation operates the Asteroid Institute, which has developed the ADAM (Asteroid Discovery Analysis and Mapping) Platform as its core product — an advanced open-source astrodynamics cloud platform for asteroid discovery, mapping, and analysis. ADAM integrates multiple sub-products and tools including ADAM::THOR (Tracklet-less Heliocentric Orbit Recovery), ADAM::Ephemeris, ADAM::Impact Probability Tool, and ADAM::Precovery, all built on cloud infrastructure and accessible via GitHub open-source libraries. The foundation also offers the Sponsor an ADAM Discovery program enabling public engagement, and operates the Schweickart Prize as an annual award program for planetary defense innovation. The platform has discovered over 27,000 previously unseen asteroids using algorithms that link observations across existing astronomical datasets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ADAM (Asteroid Discovery Analysis and Mapping) Platform: An advanced open-source astrodynamics platform designed to enable the discovery, mapping, and analysis of asteroids using cloud computing.
• Schweickart Prize

Products and services

• ADAM (Asteroid Discovery Analysis and Mapping) Platform Open-source cloud-based astrodynamics platform that enables discovery, mapping, and analysis of asteroids. Processes large astronomical datasets using cloud computing and provides algorithms such as THOR for tracklet-less discovery and ASSIST for orbit propagation. Used by the scientific community, including Rubin Observatory scientists preparing asteroid-hunting operations.
• Sponsor an ADAM Discovery Sponsorship program where donors support asteroid discoveries made on the ADAM platform for $50 each, receiving a custom GIF of the discovery, a link to an interactive orbit sketch, and an official certificate of sponsorship.
• Schweickart Prize Annual prize recognizing graduate students for innovative ideas in planetary defense. Winners receive a $10,000 grant and a museum-quality meteorite trophy, presented on International Asteroid Day (June 30).

Quantifiable outcome

• 27,600+ previously unseen asteroids discovered
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• York Space SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership with York Space Systems for asteroid detection and tracking research.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor infrastructure partner providing cloud computing resources. ADAM platform runs on Google Cloud using Kubernetes for job orchestration and BigQuery for data handling. Enables processing of millions of CPU hours for asteroid discovery analysis.
• University of Washington / DiRAC InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for hackathons and research collaboration. Spring hackathons held at University of Washington's DiRAC Institute focused on asteroid detection algorithms.
• MSU-DenverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Metropolitan State University of Denver for research collaboration.
• Lowell ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Asteroid Day Arizona events. Lowell astronomers contribute to asteroid detection, tracking, and planetary science research. Venue for Schweickart Prize award ceremony.
• Meteor CratercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's best-preserved asteroid impact site, partner for Asteroid Day events and planetary defense education. Hosts educational programs at the impact site.
• Meteor Crater Education AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner bringing STEM learning experiences to Arizona and beyond. Creates hands-on experiences connecting learners with real science and exploration.
• SpaceFort FlagstaffminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner hosting Asteroid Day community STEM festival in Flagstaff, Arizona.
• Vera Rubin ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelescope whose data is integrated into the ADAM platform. Observatory scientists preparing for operations using ADAM tools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Planetary Society: The Planetary Society is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing space science and exploration via a comparable donor-supported model and similar mission-driven advocacy; B612's asteroid defense mandate closely parallels Planetary Society's planetary exploration focus.
• Asteroid Day: Asteroid Day is a global awareness nonprofit co-founded by B612 leaders (Danica Remy, Brian May, Rusty Schweickart); it shares B612's exact mission of public engagement around asteroid hazards and overlapping donor/partnership ecosystem.
• Slooh: Slooh is a citizen-science and education platform offering live telescope access for asteroid and astronomy tracking; it shares B612's donor/sponsor-supported model and its public-engagement angle on asteroid science.
• National Space Society: National Space Society is a U.S. 501(c)(3) grassroots nonprofit advocating space exploration and planetary defense; comparable in size, mission framing, and donor-supported nonprofit structure, with overlapping membership/audience to B612.

Emerging players

• LeoLabs: LeoLabs is a commercial space situational awareness company co-founded by B612 co-founder Dr. Ed Lu; it provides tracking services using a complementary radar-based approach targeting space debris and orbital objects, sharing leadership and adjacent technology to B612's asteroid work.

Others

• Catalina Sky Survey: Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona is an academic NEO discovery program operating competing survey telescopes; it is the dominant producer of asteroid discoveries and a direct technological comparator to B612's ADAM/THOR pipeline.
• ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System): ATLAS is a University of Hawaii-funded NASA early-warning asteroid survey; it is a functional peer in the asteroid discovery and impact-warning space that B612's ADAM platform also targets.
• Long Now Foundation: Long Now Foundation is a long-horizon philanthropy/culture nonprofit whose Strategic Advisor Stewart Brand also advises B612; the two share overlapping philanthropist communities, advisory DNA, and long-term thinking framing.

Broad incumbents

• ESA Planetary Defence Office: ESA's Planetary Defence Office coordinates European NEO monitoring and deflection missions; it operates in B612's mission space at vastly larger scale as a public-sector incumbent across both observation and deflection.
• Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at JPL: CNEOS at NASA's JPL is the U.S. government computing center for high-precision orbit computation and impact-probability assessment; it directly overlaps with ADAM::Ephemeris and the Impact Probability Tool but as a much larger, publicly funded incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/b612foundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/b612foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/B612Foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b612foundation-asteroid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about B612 Foundation