China prepares a defense system against asteroids that threaten the Earth

- The Asian country bets on its space program to divert dangerous asteroids.

China assures the importance of categorizing near-Earth asteroids. / Pixabay

China is preparing a new defense system against asteroids that may collide with Earth, according to local media China Daily.

The system aims to "improve Earth's ability to monitor, alert and manage extraterrestrial dangers," the deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Wu Yanhua, explained this weekend.

The official assures us that the development of simulation programs is being carried out and we will organize maneuvers for essential procedures.

We will make plans for the defense system, develop simulation programs and organize maneuvers for essential procedures.

 The deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) expressed his initiative to work and share solutions with other members of the international community to ensure the safety of the planet.

The researcher sets as one of the first steps to establish an early warning network based on satellites and ground facilities.

"Near-Earth asteroids need to be categorized and analyzed which of them could be a threat to humanity," Wu said. In addition, he assured the importance of investigating new technologies that could be used to "neutralize the dangers."

Pang Zhihao, a space industry watcher in Beijing, said a wide variety of cutting-edge technology would be needed to create an asteroid defense system. So only some will be able to develop this system.

The researcher assures that the chances of a large asteroid hitting Earth are very low, but that it is necessary for the space community to come together to create a universal warning system.

The sending of an experimental mission is already among the plans of the CNSA. This work will be carried out in 2025 or 2026 for the study of a potentially dangerous asteroid by scientists and to act against it, according to the deputy director.

This experimental mission will serve to "verify technologies and methods" by which an asteroid heading for Earth could be diverted.

This has been the first time that the Asian country reveals its plan to act against dangerous asteroids. Some scientists from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences already stated last year that rockets could be used to divert the trajectory of a threatening object.

China has managed to become the first country to land on the moon with its Change 4 probe and thus show the hidden face of the Moon in 2019; investment in its space program has been strengthened in recent years.