Attention! my country will carry out its first mission to impact an asteroid →

Author: Shi Xiangqi and Li Chuanfu

In the vast universe, the Earth is not a safe haven. From the Gulf of Mexico impact 65 million years ago, to the Tunguska explosion in 1908, to the Chelyabinsk explosion in 2013, asteroids, these wanderers in the solar system, are always threatening our blue home.

On September 5, 2024, an asteroid with a diameter of about 1.2 meters (numbered RW1) exploded and disintegrated over the Philippines. This is the ninth asteroid impact event that has been successfully warned in human history. Behind this, Chinese scientists are planning an unprecedented mission - actively impacting asteroids to protect our planet from the potential threat of these celestial bodies.

From early warning to active defense

The early warning system for asteroid impacts has made significant progress. From the first successful warning of the TC3 asteroid in 2008 to the precise prediction of the RW1 asteroid in 2024, astronomers are constantly improving their ability to track and predict these "extraterrestrial visitors". Scientists from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have made important contributions in this field through international cooperation and technological innovation.

However, early warning is only the first step in defense. How to effectively respond to asteroid threats and reduce or eliminate the disasters caused by impact has become a new challenge in the aerospace field. Against this background, the China National Space Administration has proposed a bold plan - to implement the first asteroid impact mission.

Fly with, hit, and fly with again

At the Second International Conference on Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) held recently, Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-7 mission at the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of the China National Space Administration, proposed China's first asteroid defense mission plan and international cooperation ideas.

According to Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-7 mission, China plans to use the "fly-by-flight + impact + fly-by-flight" model to carry out this mission. This strategy includes three stages:

Escort phase: First, launch the probe to approach the target asteroid and conduct an escort flight to observe and analyze the asteroid's physical properties, orbital parameters and environmental conditions in detail.

Impact phase: After fully understanding the target asteroid, the impactor is released, using its kinetic energy to impact the asteroid, changing its orbit or speed to avoid posing a threat to the Earth.

Re-fly phase: After the impact, the probe will continue to fly around the asteroid, evaluate the impact effect, collect data generated by the impact, and provide valuable scientific basis for future asteroid defense missions.

International cooperation to jointly protect our planet

Asteroid defense is not just a matter for one country, but a common responsibility of all mankind. Tang Yuhua invited global partners at the international conference, hoping to cooperate in joint development, launch, joint observation, data sharing, etc. Through international cooperation, we can pool global wisdom and resources to jointly improve the monitoring, early warning and defense capabilities of asteroids.

China's first asteroid impact mission is not only a major test of the country's space capabilities, but also an important attempt for humans to explore the universe and protect our home planet. The successful implementation of this mission will provide new ideas and methods for global asteroid defense, and will also lay the foundation for humans to understand the universe more deeply and use space resources more effectively.

With the development of science and technology and the deepening of international cooperation, we have reason to believe that mankind will be able to better respond to challenges from space and protect our common home, the Earth. In the years to come, when we look up at the starry sky, we will not only be able to appreciate the magnificence of the universe, but also feel a sense of security and pride, because we know that we have the ability to protect the tranquility of this starry sky.