China started a “planetary defense” initiative because asteroid 2024 YR4 presents a 2.2% threat of hitting Earth during 2032. The South China Morning Post reported that the State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense started its search for planetary defense experts.
The asteroid stands as the most dangerous near-Earth object tracked by the European Space Agency (ESA), according to its risk list. NASA recognizes the potential threat, but scientists estimate the risk of impact to be minimal. The worldwide space agencies dedicate their efforts to tracking this asteroid while establishing potential defense strategies.
The asteroid defense strategies under consideration involve detonating nuclear explosives to redirect the asteroid path, while NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) demonstrated asteroid deflection capabilities through kinetic impactor technology in 2022. China plans to redirect Apophis using a spacecraft impact method similar to the DART mission.
Science journalist Robin George Andrews explained on X (formerly Twitter) that the impact potential depends on three main factors: size, angle, and location. A 40-meter asteroid would detonate while in flight, resulting in a destructive air shockwave that could destroy buildings. A 90-meter asteroid of this size would create a crater while generating a blast wave that would kill people for multiple miles. A strike into an ocean or desert zone presents a reduced threat to human survival.
The ESA, along with other space agencies, monitors 2024 YR4’s orbital path as the 2032 flyby draws nearer. The protection of Earth requires ongoing updates together with international cooperation between space agencies.
