China Sets Up 'Planetary Defense' Unit Over 2032 Asteroid Threat

China has established a "planetary defense" team to counter the threat of an asteroid that could hit Earth in 2032.

As concerns grow regarding the threat from space, Beijing's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has begun recruiting workers for its defense team, according to the South China Morning Post.

Newsweek contacted NASA and the Chinese Embassy in the U.K. for comment via email outside normal business hours.

Why It Matters

On Friday, the European Space Agency said the probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 was 2.2 percent, placing it at the top of the agency's risk list.

NASA has said the asteroid is the most dangerous space object near Earth. Though the chances of the asteroid making impact are small, space agencies around the world are preparing for its potential arrival.

What To Know

China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has begun assembling a space defense team by posting recruitment listings for three available roles. One listing posted to WeChat said the center was recruiting graduates to study asteroid monitoring and create early warning methods.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 is estimated to be 40 to 90 meters (130 to 300 feet) wide and was initially discovered by the University of Hawaii's Institute of Astronomy in late December. Swiftly after its discovery, Beijing's agency posted the recruitment listings.

As it is scheduled to near Earth by 2032, the asteroid is being monitored by multiple space agencies globally, and various methods of averting a collision have been proposed.

The methods include using nuclear weapons to redirect the asteroid away from the planet or employing NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, also known as the DART mission, which previously altered the course of an asteroid in 2022 by using kinetic impactors.

China's method of planetary defense would reportedly include crashing a DART-style spacecraft into the asteroid, bearing similarities to the U.S.'s DART mission, The Economist reported.

What People Are Saying

Robin George Andrews, a science journalist, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The impact corridor (as it's known) is too wide right now, and the chances are too low, to talk about that. The red line here shows the possibilities (from D. Rankin). The damage mostly depends on the size of the asteroid, impact angle and location … An impact in a sparse desert or the middle of the ocean even on the larger end of the asteroid's size range (90m/300 feet) would be harmless. A direct hit on a city would be like a nuclear bomb hitting it."

He continued: "A 40m asteroid (smaller end) wouldn't make it to the ground, would explode mid-air and unleash an air blast that would knock over buildings and people and be extremely lethal. A 90m asteroid (larger end) might make it to the ground, make a crater, and emit a blast wave that would kill people for several miles away by damaging their internal organs through compressive force. People and buildings further afield will be violently knocked back."

What Happens Next

The European Space Agency is providing regular updates on the asteroid's movements.