After US, China will launch an asteroid-deflecting mission this year
What's the story
China is gearing up for an ambitious space mission to deflect an asteroid and change its orbit, a top space researcher has revealed. Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, disclosed the plan during the third Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) International Conference in Hefei. The mission would make China only the second nation after the US to have this capability.
Mission details
Mission to be completed within this year
The proposed "kinetic impact demonstration mission" will be a test of China's ability to defend against asteroids. Wu said that the mission is aimed at being completed within this year. It will target a small asteroid, located tens of millions of kilometers away from Earth, and attempt an orbital deflection of about 1.2-inch to 2-inch.
Components
Asteroid-deflecting mission will comprise 2 main components
The asteroid-deflecting mission will comprise two main components: an observer spacecraft and an impactor spacecraft. This dual-spacecraft approach is part of the mission's design, potentially allowing for detailed observation and impact analysis. Wu made these revelations while speaking to state-run broadcaster CGTN about China's plans for this groundbreaking space endeavor.