According to a new study published in Nature Communications, scientists say using nuclear explosions to deflect dangerous asteroids may be far more viable than previously believed, marking a major shift in how researchers think about planetary defense.
For decades, the idea of “nuking” an asteroid belonged mostly to Hollywood. The prevailing fear was that a nuclear blast would shatter a large space rock into multiple fragments, potentially making a bad situation even worse. But new experimental evidence suggests that some asteroids may actually become stronger under extreme stress rather than breaking apart.
The research was led by physicists from the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Outer Solar System Company. The team studied how real meteorite material reacts when exposed to intense radiation and pressure, conditions similar to those produced by a nearby nuclear detonation in space.
Using samples from the Campo del Cielo iron meteorite, one of the most well studied meteorites on Earth, the researchers conducted experiments at CERN. High energy proton pulses were used to simulate the stresses an asteroid might experience during a nuclear deflection attempt.
What they found surprised them. Instead of fracturing, the meteorite sample initially softened and then re strengthened, increasing its material strength by a factor of about 2.5. This behavior, known as strain rate dependent damping, means the harder the material is hit, the more effectively it absorbs and dissipates energy.
That insight challenges long held assumptions about asteroid fragility. Rather than exploding into pieces, some asteroids may hold together when subjected to extreme forces, reducing the risk of creating multiple hazardous fragments.
This has important implications for planetary defense strategies. Current approaches, such as NASA’s DART mission, rely on kinetic impact, slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid to alter its path. While effective in some cases, that method carries risks if the asteroid’s structure is poorly understood.
The new findings strengthen the case for so called stand off nuclear detonations, where a nuclear device explodes near an asteroid rather than directly on it. The blast would vaporize part of the surface, creating a push that nudges the asteroid off course without destroying it.
Researchers caution that major challenges remain. A real world nuclear deflection mission cannot be tested in advance, meaning scientists must rely heavily on accurate models and experimental data. Different asteroids, made of different materials, will not all respond the same way.
Still, the study represents a major step forward. What once sounded like science fiction is now grounded in physics and laboratory evidence, suggesting that if Earth ever faces a truly dangerous asteroid, nuclear deflection could be one of our most powerful tools.