The China National Space Administration announced on June 30 that it will establish a coordinated ground- and space-based monitoring system for near-Earth asteroids to provide early warning and monitoring support for planetary defense against potential asteroid impacts.
Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s Lunar Exploration program, said that China plans to carry out a kinetic impact test on an asteroid tens of millions of kilometers away around 2027, with the aim of altering its orbit. The mission will also conduct in-orbit assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of the impact, according to CNSA.
Should an asteroid threaten Earth, there are two main countermeasures, says Li Mingtao, chief scientist at the asteroid monitoring and early-warning research center under the China National Space Administration. “The first is kinetic impact, meaning a high-speed strike that instantly shifts the asteroid’s orbit. It is simple, reliable, and the most viable option,” said Li.
“The second includes ion beams and laser ablations but these exert very weak forces and require over a decade of advance notice to be effective,” he added.
