Minor Planet Center

What Minor Planet Center does

The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the single worldwide institution responsible for receiving, processing, verifying, and distributing astrometric observations of minor planets (asteroids), comets, and the outer irregular natural satellites of the major planets. Established in 1947 and hosted at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory within the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, it operates under Division F of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and serves the global astronomical community — professional researchers, observatories, survey projects such as Pan-STARRS, amateur observers, and NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office. The MPC maintains the master observational archive (543.7 million all-time observations) and the authoritative catalog of orbits and designations, and publishes daily Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPECs) along with monthly Minor Planet Circulars (MPCs), weekly Supplements (MPS), and periodic Orbit Supplements (MPO).

The core platform consists of web-based services including the Database Search, Ephemeris Service (MPES) for up to 100 objects, Natural Satellites Ephemeris Service, MPCORB / MPCAT / MPCUPDATE orbital element files, the NEO Confirmation Page (NEOCP), the Possible Comet Confirmation Page (PCCP), and identification tools (MPChecker, NEOChecker, CMTChecker). The technical backbone is a relational database created and maintained internally, orbit computation pipelines for perturbed and unperturbed solutions, and integration with the Worldwide Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams / IAU framework for official designation. The MPC does not provide a formal documented public API; programmatic access is via Python example scripts and command-line cURL submissions. All software development is handled by a four-person in-house engineering team under the Technical Lead.

The MPC is not a commercial entity. All services are provided free of charge, and all operating funds come from a single NASA Near-Earth Object Observations program grant; computer equipment has additionally been provided by the Tamkin Foundation. There is no pricing model, no sales motion, and no revenue diversification. Staff totals approximately 13, comprising the Director (Matthew Payne), Project Scientist (Federica Spoto), Technical Lead (Peter K. G. Williams), seven astronomers, and four software engineers/programmers. The customer base is effectively the global astronomical research and planetary defense community, served via self-serve web access.

Name

Minor Planet Center

Legal name

Minor Planet Center

Website

https://minorplanetcenter.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Minor Planet Center is the IAU-sanctioned global clearinghouse for astrometric observations, orbit computation, and official designation of asteroids, comets, and outer natural satellites, serving the worldwide astronomical and planetary defense community with free web-based data services funded by a NASA grant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. NASA Near-Earth Object Observations Grant: All of the MPC's operating funds come from a NASA Near-Earth Object Observations program grant. This is the primary funding source for the organization.
2. Equipment Support: Much of the computer equipment that the MPC uses was provided by the Tamkin Foundation, a non-monetary contribution supporting operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Minor Planet Center is the single worldwide location for receipt, processing, and distribution of positional measurements of minor planets (asteroids), comets, and outer irregular natural satellites. It provides identification, official designation, and orbit computation services; maintains master databases of observations and orbits; operates confirmation pages for near-Earth object and comet candidates; generates ephemerides; and disseminates discoveries via daily electronic circulars and monthly printed publications.

Product overview

The Minor Planet Center (MPC) operates as the single worldwide repository for observations of minor planets, comets, and outer irregular natural satellites. The core offering is the MPC platform, which receives, processes, verifies, and distributes astrometric data through a suite of web-based services and publications. Key products include the MPC Database Search, Ephemeris Services (MPES for minor planets/comets and a separate service for natural satellites), the NEO and Possible Comet Confirmation Pages for real-time discovery follow-up, and the MPC Orbit Database (MPCORB) for downloadable orbital elements. Data is disseminated through multiple publications: the monthly Minor Planet Circulars (MPC), the weekly Minor Planet Circulars Supplement (MPS), the periodic Minor Planet Circulars Orbit Supplement (MPO), and the daily Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC). The MPC Archive provides PDF access to all historical publications, while MPCAT, MPCAT-OBS, and MPCUPDATE offer various catalogue files and data sets. All services are funded by a NASA Near-Earth Object Observations program grant and operate at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory under the International Astronomical Union.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Minor Planet Center Core Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,553,137 minor planets discovered and catalogued all-time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

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

One partnership is on record.

• NASA Planetary Defense Coordination OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MPC monitors near-Earth objects in collaboration with NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, supporting planetary defense efforts. NASA also provides primary funding through its Near-Earth Object Observations program grant.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office: The NASA office that the MPC collaborates with most closely, overseeing U.S. planetary defense efforts including NEO detection, tracking, and characterization programs. Functions as both a primary funding source and a coordination peer.
• Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS): Operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, CNEOS is the closest direct peer to the MPC, providing NEO orbit computation, impact risk assessment, and close approach data. It complements the MPC's designation and cataloging functions within the U.S. planetary defense ecosystem.
• ESA Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC): ESA's coordination centre for NEO observations and follow-up, performing functions directly comparable to the MPC at the European level, including orbit computation, risk assessment, and coordination with observers.
• NEODyS (Near Earth Objects Dynamic Site): European-based service providing NEO orbit computation and impact risk monitoring, with overlapping capabilities and a similar scientific mandate to the MPC's orbital data functions.
• JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB): Database maintained by JPL providing orbital and physical data for small solar system bodies, serving as a complementary data service to the MPC's MPCORB database for the same user community.

Others

• International Astronomical Union (IAU): The international scientific organization under whose auspices the MPC operates Division F. The IAU provides the regulatory authority that underpins the MPC's exclusive designation mandate.
• Pan-STARRS: The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, a major astronomical survey that has contributed observations of thousands of minor planets and submits data to the MPC pipeline.
• Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR): A collaboration between MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the U.S. Air Force, historically one of the most prolific NEO discovery programs, contributing observations to the MPC master database.
• Catalina Sky Survey: A major NASA-funded NEO survey operated by the University of Arizona that submits observations to the MPC. Functions as a primary upstream data provider rather than a coordination peer.
• ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System): An asteroid impact early warning system developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA, providing additional observations to the MPC's discovery and confirmation pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MinorPlanetCtr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minor-planet-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Minor Planet Center