The mission won't take off before 2026.
In the 2020s, China will test planetary defense technologies on a specific asteroid.
According to a Space News article published on Tuesday, the China National Space Administration intends to conduct research at the possibly dangerous asteroid 2020 PN1 in a mission scheduled to launch in 2026. (July 12). China earlier this year seems to be aiming for 2025.
The principal designer of China's Long March rocket series, Long Lehao, gave a presentation in Chinese that included further information.
According to a presentation shown by Long, the impactor mission will launch in 2026 on a Long March 3B rocket, according to the SpaceNews story. "There will be an independent impactor and orbiter for the mission. The latter spacecraft will conduct observations while the former will collide with NEO 2020 PN1."
The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which is scheduled to reach its own location in September, seems to be comparable to the kinetic asteroid defense program. In an effort to change the orbit of the moonlet Dimorphos around the asteroid Didymos, NASA intends to launch a kinetic impactor at a speed of 4.1 miles per second (6.6 kilometers per second).
Despite decades of meticulous research by NASA and countless other space organizations, there are no known impending dangers, according to experts. As it refers to a collection of space rock features expected to have a higher likelihood of ultimate impact, the word "potentially dangerous" is also complicated.
Wu Yanhua, the deputy director of CNSA, recently stated that China has been engaged in research and technological studies for a more comprehensive planetary defense strategy. The organization also published a "white paper" in January outlining its ambitions to build a mechanism to protect against near-Earth objects.
The Biden administration recently criticized the nation, which is a mostly independent operator in space. China received criticism from NASA for letting a 23-ton core stage of a Long March 5B rocket to tumble out of control in 2021. Additionally, NASA states that it is not permitted to "engage in any bilateral activity with China or Chinese-owned firms" .
