Bring Esa
to VS Code Copilot
Learn how to connect ESA Near Earth Objects to VS Code Copilot and start using 12 AI agent tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code.
GDPR Free for SubscribersCompatible with every major AI agent and IDE
Gemini
What is the ESA Near Earth Objects MCP Server?
Connect to the European Space Agency Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC) and access the most authoritative asteroid monitoring data in Europe.
What you can do
- Close Approaches — Retrieve upcoming and recent asteroid flybys with miss distances in kilometers, astronomical units, and lunar distances, plus diameter and relative velocity
- Impact Risk Assessment — Access the official ESA risk list and special risk list of asteroids with non-zero cumulative impact probability, including Palermo Scale and Torino Scale ratings
- Object-Level Intelligence — Query orbital elements, physical properties (diameter, albedo, spectral type), and computed ephemerides for any known near-Earth object by designation
- Planetary Defence Monitoring — Access the Aegis impact monitoring table and priority observation lists used by ESA Space Safety
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- No API key required — the ESA NEOCC is a public service
- Start querying asteroid data from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
Your AI agent becomes a planetary defence analyst with direct access to ESA mission-critical data. All information is sourced from the ESA Space Safety programme and updated multiple times daily.
Who is this for?
- Researchers & Astronomers — access orbital elements and ephemerides for observation planning without navigating complex web portals
- Science Communicators — instantly retrieve upcoming asteroid flyby data for articles and social media
- Planetary Defence Professionals — monitor risk lists and impact tables programmatically for rapid response workflows
- Space Enthusiasts — explore the asteroid catalog and track objects approaching Earth in near real-time
Built-in capabilities (12)
Returns the connection status and service URL. Use this to verify the integration is working correctly. Verify ESA NEOCC API connectivity
Returns designations only. Warning: this list contains thousands of entries. Use for comprehensive audits or when searching for a specific designation. Get the complete catalog of all known near-Earth asteroids
Lists virtual impactors with their projected impact dates, impact probabilities, and Palermo Scale values. This is the primary ESA output for planetary defence risk assessment. Get impact monitoring data for potentially hazardous objects
g., "2024YR4", "99942 Apophis"). Returns miss distance, date, velocity, and brightness for each encounter. Use URL-encoded designations for objects with spaces. Get all close approaches for a specific asteroid
Returns right ascension, declination, distance, and visual magnitude at each timestep. Useful for planning telescope observations or determining current sky position. Get ephemerides for a specific asteroid
Essential for trajectory computation and impact probability assessment. Get orbital elements for a specific asteroid
Data sourced from the ESA NEOCC physical properties database. Get physical properties of a specific asteroid
These objects have incomplete orbital arcs and could be reclassified with additional tracking data. Get priority NEOs requiring follow-up observation
Useful for reviewing past flyby events and validating orbital predictions. Get recent asteroid close approaches that already occurred
Each entry includes the object designation, estimated diameter, cumulative impact probability (IP), Palermo Scale value (PS), and Torino Scale rating. Objects on this list are being actively monitored by the ESA Planetary Defence Office. Get the ESA asteroid impact risk list
These objects have heightened scientific interest for planetary defence. Get the ESA special priority risk list
Data is updated multiple times per day directly from the ESA Space Safety programme. Get upcoming asteroid close approaches to Earth
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings ESA Near Earth Objects data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 12 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
- —
VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor
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Project-scoped MCP configs (
.vscode/mcp.json) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access - —
Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop
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GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
ESA Near Earth Objects in VS Code Copilot
ESA Near Earth Objects and 4,000+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect ESA Near Earth Objects to VS Code Copilot through Vinkius don't need to source, host, or maintain individual MCP servers. Every tool call runs inside a hardened runtime with credential isolation, DLP, and a signed audit chain.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Server catalog | Find and host yourself | 4,000+ managed |
| Infrastructure | Self-hosted | Sandboxed V8 isolates |
| Credential handling | Plaintext in config | Vault + runtime injection |
| Data loss prevention | None | Configurable DLP policies |
| Kill switch | None | Global instant shutdown |
| Financial circuit breakers | None | Per-server limits + alerts |
| Audit trail | None | Ed25519 signed logs |
| SIEM log streaming | None | Splunk, Datadog, Webhook |
| Honeytokens | None | Canary alerts on leak |
| Custom domains | Not applicable | DNS challenge verified |
| GDPR compliance | Manual effort | Automated purge + export |
Why teams choose Vinkius for ESA Near Earth Objects in VS Code Copilot
The ESA Near Earth Objects MCP Server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS — a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts. All 12 tools execute in hardened sandboxes optimized for native MCP execution.
Your AI agents in VS Code Copilot only access the data you authorize, with DLP that blocks sensitive information from ever reaching the model, kill switch for instant shutdown, and up to 60% token savings. Enterprise-grade infrastructure, zero maintenance.
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
How Vinkius secures
ESA Near Earth Objects for VS Code Copilot
Every tool call from VS Code Copilot to the ESA Near Earth Objects MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an API key to use this server?
No. The ESA NEOCC API is completely public and requires no authentication. Simply subscribe to this server and enter any placeholder value in the API key field to start querying asteroid data immediately.
How often is the asteroid data updated?
The ESA NEOCC updates its close approach data, risk lists, and impact monitoring tables multiple times per day. Orbital elements and physical properties are updated whenever new observational data becomes available from ground-based telescopes worldwide.
Can I query data for a specific asteroid like Apophis?
Yes! Use the object-specific tools with the asteroid's designation. For example, query orbital elements for '99942' (Apophis), or get close approaches for '2024YR4'. The designation should match the official IAU format used in the NEOCC database.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.
MCP tools not available
Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.
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