China plans to shoot down an asteroid to test whether it is possible to protect the planet in this way
China is developing a high-tech system to protect the planet from space threats. China is developing a real-life asteroid shooting mission to test the effectiveness of planetary defence in practice.
What exactly is planned?
At a conference on deep space, Wu Weizhen, chief engineer of the Chinese lunar programme, announced that China is developing a demonstration mission that includes the launch of two spacecraft - an observer and an impactor. The observer is to approach the asteroid and accompany it, analysing the parameters and transmitting this data to Earth. The impactor will strike the asteroid, after which scientists will observe how the behaviour of the space body has changed. The data obtained will allow us to work out how to capture and hit a specific space body.
The vast majority of asteroids do not pose a threat to our planet as they burn up in the atmosphere. However, there is a theoretical possibility that one day a large celestial body could collide with our planet and cause a catastrophe, similar to what happened when the meteorite that formed the Gulf of Mexico fell. Theorists and science fiction writers have put forward various ideas for such an event - from bombardment with nuclear missiles to a network of satellites with laser weapons in orbit. However, practical tests were somewhat delayed.
China has already conducted strikes against objects in outer space. The downing of the satellite caused a lot of criticism at the time, as it resulted in a huge pile of uncontrolled debris moving along complex trajectories, making the stay of people on the ISS more risky, and other satellites could be damaged. But with this test, the country gained real experience in shooting down enemy satellites.
Humanity has already shot down asteroids. On 26 September 2022, NASA rammed the remote asteroid Dimorphos with the DARTS space probe. The test was successful - the asteroid changed its trajectory and split into dozens of fragments. Such tests help to develop tools for shooting down asteroids that could pose a real threat to the planet.
Source: www.ithome.com
