China will reveal the near-Earth asteroid defense system

At the opening ceremony of China Space Day 2021, China National Space Administration Director Zhang Kejian revealed that China Aerospace will demonstrate the construction of a near-Earth asteroid defense system in the future.

Zhang Kejian, director of the National Space Administration, said in his speech: “Standing at a new historical starting point, China Aerospace will demonstrate the implementation of the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project, the planetary exploration project, the construction of an international lunar research station and a near-Earth asteroid defense system, and a new era Explore the new prologue of the nine days.”

Near-Earth asteroids are those whose orbits intersect the Earth’s orbit. This type of asteroid may be in danger of hitting the earth.

At present, the China asteroid exploration mission has been announced, and it is planned to use about 10 years to carry out the 2016 HO3 companion flight detection and sampling return of the near-Earth asteroid and to carry out the orbiting detection of the main belt comet 133P.

At the 8th National Defense, Science and Technology Industry Test and Testing Technology Development Strategy Forum held in September 2020, Gong Zizheng, chief researcher of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, called for my country to establish a national near-Earth asteroid defense coordination as soon as possible.

Moreover, the center organizes and coordinates small celestial body monitoring and early warning, hazard assessment, security defense, and emergency response, and takes the lead in formulating a roadmap for the development of my country’s small celestial body defense system. Develop a small celestial body monitoring and early warning platform integrating ground-based and space-based, and form a near-Earth asteroid monitoring and early warning capability with Chinese characteristics. Establish an internationally influential asteroid monitoring database and release relevant information.

He also suggested that the deployment of key technology research on small celestial body defense, the development of key technology verification for small celestial body defense missions, the establishment of a ground simulation laboratory for small celestial body defense missions, and the timely launch of my country’s leading small celestial body active security defense missions. In addition, China should strengthen basic research on near-Earth asteroid defense.

|VIA|