China aims to alter the trajectory of an asteroid that has the potential to collide with Earth. The ongoing project will test a special dynamical collider, and be part of an effort to develop a planetary defense system.
Currently, the team will find ways to overcome technical obstacles and develop systems to combat threats from near-Earth space. That is the assertion of Mr. Wu Yanhua, director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), before a CCTV reporter.
At the same time, CNSA will develop a system for early detection of asteroids and write simulation software that simulates Earth’s position relative to potential collision objects. The CNSA will also create a basic to-do list in the event of an emergency.
Finally, the project will conduct observations of potentially dangerous objects on Earth, thereby planning to deflect the celestial path if necessary.
It is expected that CNSA will perform this space mission at the end of the 14th five-year plan (2021-2025). That is, in 2026, we should be able to see the CNSA conduct a space celestial redirection with a dynamic collider.
Last October, China held its first Planetary Defense Conference with lectures and scientific reports on related issues. The conference raised many issues of the future, such as tracking and physically impacting meteorites, discovering near-Earth objects, or developing early warning systems.
First Planetary Defense Conference.
China is not the only country worried. In November 2021, the US conducted the Twin Asteroid Reorientation Test (DART), for a spacecraft to collide with Dimorphos, a natural satellite orbiting the asteroid Didymos. The European Space Agency will soon launch the Hera mission, sending probes to Didymos and Dimorphos to collect data on the DART collision.