On many occasions we have talked about asteroids heading to planet Earth, but the truth is that very few have posed a real danger of impact. However, according to a study published in ‘Live Science’, the giant asteroid named Bennu could impact Earth and kill any trace of life . And this is precisely what China wants to avoid, which plans to launch more than 20 rockets into space to deflect the asteroid.
Space agencies from different countries around the world have been trying for a decade to find the best way to divert the path of the asteroid Bennu . A short-term impact is not expected, but it would take place between the years 2175 and 2199, with a probability of 1 in 2,700.
However, its size (it weighs 85 tons) and its course worry scientists , who warn that it could cause a “cataclysmic collision on planet Earth.” As they have calculated, it has the capacity to generate an explosion of 1,200 megatons. To give us an idea of what this means, the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs had an energy 12 times lower.
China’s rockets to deflect life-threatening asteroid on Earth
Scientists at the China National Center for Space Sciences have based their calculations on research published in the journal ‘Icarus’, and estimate that if the 20 Long March 5 rockets hit the asteroid Bennus at the same time, they could deflect it by about 9,000 kilometers.
Since 2016 China has sent six Long March 5 rockets into space . Although almost all missions have been successful, one of these rockets caused great concern in May 2021 as they lost control of the ship, and the possibility of landing in Madrid was even raised.
It is the most effective technique that has been proposed so far. Other space agencies have proposed causing a nuclear explosion , but it is not the best solution because the explosion could cause the formation of new rocks heading towards planet Earth.
For its part, NASA is also proposing to divert the trajectory of the asteroid Bennu as part of the Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response (HAMMER) . What the US space agency is proposing is to send several ships to hit the gigantic rock between 34 and 53 hits. However, this project is much more expensive and will take more years to develop than the Chinese one.
