The US Minor Planet Center has announced the new name for the asteroid formerly known as 2009 RC26 to be (264045) Heinerklinkrad.

The asteroid, several kilometres across, was discovered on 13 September 2009 by Matthias Busch and Rainer Kresken using ESA’s Optical Ground Station on Tenerife, Spain.

The citation reads:

Heiner Klinkrad (b. 1953) is a German engineer, academic and former head of the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office. One of Europe’s leading debris experts, he has played a crucial role in defining mitigation guidelines now adopted by numerous space agencies.

More information

Space Situational Awareness - Near Earth Objects

Space Debris at ESA

MPC - citation