China plans Mach 26 asteroid impact test for planetary defense

Technology Jul 22, 2026

China is planning a bold space mission: they'll crash a spacecraft into an asteroid at more than 9km per second (that's Mach 26!) to see if they can change its path.

The goal? Test out ways to protect Earth from possible asteroid threats.

The launch is set for sometime before 2030.

Impactor and observer target 2015 XF261

The plan uses two spacecraft: one will slam into asteroid 2015 XF261 (which is about an estimated 98 feet wide), while the other watches what happens next.

This builds on NASA's DART mission, but China hopes to deliver even more impact and learn how we might better defend our planet in the future.