China’s plans to save the earth

Don’t look up. 

Collision course  

China is planning to launch a new space mission. In the event that an asteroid is heading towards the earth, China wants to be the first responder, and has announced plans to launch a new spacecraft that could potentially deflect any asteroid of its choosing. Very generous indeed.  

But this idea isn’t new. NASA has its own deflection mission, which is currently heading out into space to smash into a little asteroid called Didymos, supposedly on the 26th of September. So, not one to miss out on the space-bashing action, China is launching its own plans.  

Star wars 

The plans aren’t official just yet, as China has only moved the plans into a review stage, but it’s clear that it’s the culmination of several years of space action prep. The country has been ramping up its investment and expertise in the space field for some time, and could well become a serious competitor to the US.  

China’s plans also reference a warning system that could alert Earth when an asteroid is on track to whack our planet. So, whether or not we like the idea of outsourcing planetary security to China, we might end up needing them on our side.