China will establish an early-warning asteroid monitoring system, using ground- and space-based equipment, to track near-Earth asteroids and determine potential impact threats, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Tuesday.
The United Nations has declared June 30 as International Asteroid Day to raise public awareness about the potential hazards of asteroid impacts, which are a common challenge facing all humanity.
As part of its plan to develop an asteroid defense system, China will build an integrated network featuring telescopes and other equipment on the ground and in space to eliminate blind spots, the CNSA said.
"On the ground, we will select outstanding observatories and deploy multiple large-aperture optical telescopes to form a ground-based monitoring and early-warning network. In space, we will launch telescopes beyond the atmosphere. Through the coordination of ground and space assets, we will achieve round-the-clock 360-degree monitoring," said Li Mingtao, chief scientist at the CNSA Asteroid Monitoring and Early Warning Research Center.
Following the detection of a potentially hazardous asteroid, the next conundrum for scientists is determining how to deflect it.
According to experts, one of the most straightforward approaches is kinetic impact, in which a spacecraft or missile collides with the asteroid to alter its trajectory or break it into smaller fragments, thereby reducing the overall threat.
Other approaches focus on changing the asteroid's orbit, including using gravity tractors, laser ablation and continuous-thrust techniques, with the ultimate goal of nudging the asteroid away from Earth's orbital path well in advance, preventing a potential impact.
"Kinetic impact is the most feasible and simplest approach, but its effectiveness is relatively difficult to assess. Continuous deflection offers more precise results, but the main challenge is that the applied force is extremely weak. That is why early detection is critical, as more time gives us more options to avoid impact," Li said.
By June 2026, more than 40,000 near-Earth asteroids had been discovered and catalogued by space agencies around the world. Although none has been confirmed to be on a definite collision course with Earth, many smaller celestial bodies have yet to be detected.
China has made initial advances in developing early-warning models and algorithms for asteroid impact risks, and is now building an operational near-Earth asteroid risk warning system, according to the CNSA.
China to build early-warning asteroid monitoring system: CNSA
