However, should the asteroid hunter spot a large object barreling straight for Earth, Mr Tate told Express.co.uk there would be little use in alerting Downing Street.
Instead, Mr Tate said he would immediately contact the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
He said: “I wouldn’t bother telling people in the UK, it would be a waste of time until things change.
“No, we deal directly with the United States or the European Space Agency – they’re beginning to kick in on this game now.
“They’re building space telescopes, they’re developing projects very quickly as part of the Space Situational Awareness Programme.
source: express.co.uk