China's Urgent Call for Global Cooperation on Near-Earth Asteroid Defense at Xiangshan Conference

The 776th session of the Xiangshan Science Conference, held on March 13 at the Xiangshan Hotel in Beijing, focused on "Key Scientific and Engineering Challenges in Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) Defense." Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lunar exploration program and director general of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL), led discussions by advocating for operational services and enhanced global cooperation in asteroid defense. This conference, organized by DSEL, gathered more than 50 prominent Chinese space scientists to address core areas such as asteroid defense science, detection, tracking, and impact technology.

Wu issued warnings about the catastrophic potential of asteroid impacts on civilization, outlining the urgent need for a global planetary defense community. He underscored the significance of China's involvement in NEA defense missions, highlighting their scientific, engineering, and humanitarian implications. Several countries, including the United States and European nations, have initiated programs addressing asteroid threats, with successful missions like the DART mission demonstrating the effectiveness of kinetic impacts to alter asteroid trajectories.

China's strategy in nearing an effective NEA defense is evident through its planning and disclosure of missions related to this field. At the inaugural International Conference on Deep Space Exploration, experts laid out China's intentions to accomplish kinetic impacts on asteroids by 2030, soliciting international proposals for comprehensive mission strategies. The upcoming mission is designed to utilize a dual spacecraft system where an impactor will strike an asteroid while an observer gathers critical data during the process.

Wu identified several key challenges in asteroid defense, including precision impact techniques, impact measurement accuracy, and reliable communication systems. He called for advancements in monitoring networks for early warning and risk assessment, promoting the development of spacecraft technologies tailored for effective impact mitigation. Wu's proposals highlight the growing urgency surrounding planetary defense amid ongoing global discussions about the risks posed by near-Earth objects.