China aims to launch a planetary defence mission by 2030, planning to strike an asteroid with a Mach 26 projectile, surpassing NASA's Dart in ambition and scale.
The mission will be completed before 2030
Jul 20, 2026
11:31 am
What's the storyChina is gearing up for its first planetary defense mission, a project that is much more ambitious than NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART).
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) plans to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid before 2030.
Spacecraft to hit at 9km/s, equivalent to over 26 times the speed of sound near sea level and nearly 50 per cent faster than…
If the project is successful, China will become the second country – after space rival US – to alter an asteroid’s orbit.
If the project is successful, China will become the second country – after space rival US – to alter an asteroid’s orbit.
Li Mingtao, the chief scientist overseeing the project, said there are currently no known asteroids expected to strike Earth.…
La iniciativa fue anunciada por la Administración Espacial Nacional de China (CNSA).
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