A potentially hazardous asteroid is now drawing grave concerns from the international space community as it can bring significant damage to the planet if it hits, and this is something that the authorities are looking to avoid.
An asteroid that the scientific community is tracking, 2024 YR4, has recently almost doubled in its collision probability, which prompted many to devise countermeasures against it.
The one that stepped up in the recent meeting is an unlikely candidate, with China pledging to set up its "Planetary Defense Force" to impede the incoming asteroid from crashing onto the planet and wreaking havoc.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 Is Closing in and Increased Collision Probability
According to a report by NewsX.com, Asteroid 2024 YR4 previously had a collision probability of 1.3%, but recent calculations have alerted officials as it almost doubled in numbers, which is now at 2.2%. The figures may be small, but a jump in probability such as this has been flagged as a potential problem by the United Nations' Space Mission Planning Advisory Group.
The organization is now closely monitoring the asteroid together with a group of scientists and policymakers, and the coalition is now working on countermeasures that could potentially combat the asteroid.
China Pledges Planetary Defense Force to Stop 2024 YR4
China stepped up to help Earth defend against the asteroid and devise prevention measures that could potentially divert its trajectory before it makes an impact and causes massive losses. The country's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) is spearheading the committee it is forming that is dedicated to handling Asteroid 2024 YR4 and future threats from impacting the planet.
For now, China is recruiting young professionals under the age of 35 to work towards monitoring near-Earth objects (NEOs), creating early warning systems, and looking into possible asteroid deflection measures as part of the East Asian superpower's Planetary Defense Force.
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids and NASA's DART
Most of the asteroids that are categorized as potentially hazardous have not made an impact on the planet in many years, and this has been fortunate for humans and other creatures on the planet.
However, thousands of potential asteroids that may impact the planet are still out there, but there are efforts to prevent this from happening, such as the HelioLinc3D, which is an algorithm that identifies potentially hazardous asteroids.
Apart from detection measures, authorities like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have developed ways to stop these asteroids from hitting the planet. One of the most iconic methods is the DART mission, which previously collided with the asteroid known as Dimorphos, and this led to shrinking its orbit and was considered a success.
However, NASA's DART is known for being only one measure to the thousands of potential threats to the planet, but the good thing is that it is not alone in devising ways to help the Earth and humans prevent such happenings.
