Hey space fans 🚀! Big news: the Chinese mainland is set to launch its first asteroid deflection test as soon as 2025. Imagine sending a spacecraft to gently nudge an asteroid off course — that's exactly what this mission is all about!
According to Wu Weiren, chief designer of the Chinese mainland’s Lunar Exploration Program and director of the Deep Space Exploration Lab, the team will perform a “kinetic impact test.” In simple terms, they’ll crash a small probe into an asteroid millions of kilometres away to shift its orbit by just 3 to 5 cm. It doesn’t sound like much, but in space terms, every bit counts!
Why does this matter? 🚨 Building a full planetary defense system means detecting threats early, issuing warnings, and having a plan to respond or rescue if something big comes our way. This mission is the first practical step.
- Test Target: A small asteroid, tens of millions of kilometres away.
- Goal: Deflect its orbit by 3–5 cm using a kinetic impact.
- Timeline: Experimental launch as early as 2025.
- Next Steps: Expand into detection, warning and rescue systems.
Back in September 2024, the Chinese mainland unveiled its first asteroid defense plan at the 2nd International Deep Space Exploration Conference (Tiandu Forum). This year’s forum dives deeper into asteroid detection, defense and resource use, with researchers from around the world joining in.
International collaboration is key 🔑. Wu stressed teaming up with global space agencies to track near-Earth objects better. After all, space safety is a shared challenge!
Stay tuned for more updates—this cosmic adventure is just getting started! 🌌
Reference(s):
China to kick off asteroid deflection project in 2025: expert
cgtn.com
