  In 2005, the United States Congress passed a bill mandating the detection,
tracking, cataloguing and characterization of 90\% of the 140 meter and larger
near-Earth objects (NEOs) by 2020. At the deadline $\sim$35\% were detected,
tracked and catalogued, but only a small fraction were characterized. At the
present rate, it will take 40 years to meet the detection mandate, and there
are insufficient global facilities dedicated to NEO characterization to come
close to the characterization threshold. The major surveys focus mainly on
detection and initial orbit determination, which must be refined in order to
fully be tracked and catalogued. Characterization requires observations
spanning multiple wavelengths, cadences, and instruments, so it is challenging
for observers to acquire the requisite data in a timely manner for planetary
defense. Two upcoming surveys will easily meet the 90\% threshold for
detection, but each will require separate facilities to tip and queue to refine
orbits and characterize new discoveries, and they will provide too many
discoveries for ground and space-based assets to keep up with. Here, I argue
for a constellation of proliferating small satellites carrying visible and
infrared sensors that would offer the needed coverage and flexibility to follow
up detections from current and upcoming surveys in a timely manner. Such a
constellation would enable NASA to move beyond the detection focused
investments and fully meet the 2005 Congressional mandate.
