In his comments to the Deep Space Exploration International Conference in Hefei on Sept. 6, Chief Designer of China’s Lunar Exploration Program Wu Weiren announced that China would attempt to move the trajectory of an asteroid, in a “kinetic impact demonstration mission.” This would be carried out “within this year,” he said. NASA had conducted a similar mission in 2022.
Wu said that the observer spacecraft will approach the asteroid to examine the physical characteristics of the asteroid. Subsequently the impactor spacecraft will collide with the asteroid at high velocity, while both spacecraft and ground-based telescopes will capture the event, using advanced imaging systems.
Wu envisions a complicated defense architecture, including early warning, in-orbit response and system level preparedness for asteroids with “kinetic impact as the primary method, complemented by multiple technologies.” Wu said that China was willing to share data with other countries, and to “jointly establish an asteroid defense system.”
