China forms planetary defense team due to asteroid threat

The Chinese Defense Agency has begun recruiting space researchers as the risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth in 2032 increases, SCMP reports.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has updated the asteroid's probability of colliding with Earth to 2.2 percent, making it the agency's top threat.

The asteroid, which is about 40-90 meters in size, was discovered in December 2024 by the Harvard University Astronomy Institute. The discovery has triggered a global monitoring mechanism for near-Earth objects.

In response to the potential threat, China is expanding its research into planetary defense and developing measures to prevent collisions.

For information, this asteroid is currently about 43 million kilometers from Earth. According to NASA estimates, in 2032 it will approach a distance of 106 thousand kilometers - about a third of the distance to the Moon. However, due to uncertainties in the calculations, there is a possibility that the trajectory will lead to a direct collision.

If the asteroid enters the atmosphere, it could cause a powerful air explosion similar to the Tunguska meteorite in 1908. Then the shock wave destroyed forests over an area of ​​​​more than 2 thousand square kilometers. If 2024 YR4 is denser and richer in iron, it could leave a huge crater on the surface of the Earth. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”