Environmental activists stop construction of a telescope to observe meteorites that could wipe out humanity

But environmental groups, including WWF Sicily, have appealed to local courts and suspended construction pending a hearing on September 24.

“The suspension was decided… as a provisional precautionary measure to ensure the integrity of the mountain. We are cautiously satisfied,” Pietro Ciulla, the WWF delegate in Sicily, told The Telegraph.

“The appeal was filed because we believe that the procedure is tainted with irregularities and illegalities. In our opinion, there are irregularities in the approval process.”

Mr Ciulla said the activists were not against scientific research but believed the 13-metre-high building should be built elsewhere in the mountains “where the environmental impact would be less severe”.

Italy is one of the 22 ESA members alongside the UK and was commissioned to lead the Flyeye project in 2018 following an application by the Italian space agency ASI.

The 1,865-meter-high Mount Mufara was chosen as the best location in Italy for the telescope because of its extremely dark skies, many clear nights and low light pollution.

Ongoing litigation

ESA had considered moving the Flyeye project to the Canary Islands in 2023 after years of delays due to local problems in Sicily. However, in October the Sicilian government issued an emergency decree to save the project and exempt it from local bureaucracy.

Activists also fear that the new precedent set by this ad hoc legislation could open the door to further construction activities in the mountains.

Adolfo Urso, the Italian space minister, told ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher after the postponement that he was confident[s] that the administrative jurisdiction confirms the strategic interest of this project and protects the reputation and international credibility of our country.”

It is believed that ESA officials are confident that the court case will be in the project’s favor, allowing the Italian space agency to move forward with the Flyeye project.

The dispute in the Council Courtroom in Palermo has far-reaching consequences for the world: Dr. Rolf Densing, ESA Director of Operations and Space Security, told The Telegraph that Flyeye was “an important step for the defence of the planet”.

“Impacts from near-Earth objects, or NEOs for short, pose a real threat. They led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

“Recently an asteroid disintegrated over Chelyabinsk [Russia]In 2013, about 1,500 people were injured and there was considerable destruction in the region.

“That is why this network is of utmost importance for the Earth and its inhabitants. Early warning of dangerous objects such as asteroids or comets on a collision course with the Earth helps protect life in general.”

Detecting dangerous space rocks

Most rocks are too small to cause concern and burn up in the atmosphere, including a one-meter-diameter meteorite that created a fireball in the skies over the Philippines this week, the same day it was first spotted.

Scientists are working to destroy or deflect approaching space rocks and are also trying to improve detection.

Sending a nuclear bomb into space to detonate a meteorite or comet, as is common in Hollywood films such as Deep Impact and Armageddon, is the preferred method when faced with an approaching projectile over 600 meters in diameter.

However, astronomers believe that flying a large space probe into the rock would be enough to keep smaller threats away from Earth.

Astronomers estimate that there are about 900 NEOs larger than 1 kilometer, located within a radius of 193 million kilometers around our sun. One in twenty is currently undiscovered.