China plans to build a space monitoring system to detect potential asteroids approaching Earth , similar to NASA ‘s DART system.
China announces plans to build an asteroid defense and surveillance system , which will help protect Earth from space rocks dangerously headed for our planet.
The deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Wu Yanhua indicates that the goal is to carry out a technical experiment in 2025 against an asteroid by closely following it and attacking it to change its orbit .
China ‘s asteroid system could be an important complement to dealing with asteroid threats, alongside the DART system launched by NASA.
systems against asteroids
China ‘s planetary defense project will install software to simulate asteroid impacts and conduct tests of what to do in the event of a possible deadly impact.
The idea has been around for a while. In January, Chinese officials mentioned plans to study a planetary defense system , and in October last year, China hosted a planetary defense conference, Space News reported . However, the project is still in “review for approval.” according to the Global Times.
NASA already has its own asteroid redirection system launched in November. But for now, the agency isn’t targeting any threatening space rocks.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) targets the small moon of an asteroid called Didymos and will attempt to deflect the space rock called Dimorphos on September 26, 2022. The data from this test will help form better planetary defense systems.