China To Launch Experimental Mission To Help Protect Earth From Asteroid Strikes

China wants to protect Earth from the threat of asteroids. (Unsplash)

JAKARTA – The Chinese government wants to help protect Earth from the threat of asteroids that have the potential to harm humans. Therefore China will launch experimental missions in 2025 or 2026 to research and even ward off asteroids.

China Daily reports that Chinese authorities are working to help protect our planet from close encounters with potentially dangerous asteroids.

The deputy director of China's National Space Administration, Wu Yanhua, announced last week that China is moving to develop a research and development system that will enhance the world's ability to monitor and deal with potential threats from outer space.

“We will make plans for the defense system, develop defense simulation software and organize drills for important procedures. We want to share our solutions with other members of the international community and work with other societies to keep the mother planet and its people safe,” said Wu.

As Wu has explained, the first step in this effort is the creation of an early warning network consisting of satellite and ground facilities.

“We need to categorize near-Earth asteroids and then analyze which ones are likely to pose a threat to humanity. Then we will study the technology that can be used to neutralize these dangers,” concluded Wu.

"We will use experiments to verify the technology and methods of how to bend the asteroid towards Earth," said Wu.

"This will allow us to explore ways to avoid the threat of space objects to Earth," he added as quoted by SputnikNews.