11/07/2026 22:28 - Tecnologia
Humanity is more prepared than ever to face the challenges of space. An exciting breakthrough in planetary defense brings us closer to a safer future.
According to a recent study published on July 9, 2026, in the journal Space: Science & Technology, a team of researchers led by Wang Xiaowei from the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technologies has proposed a bold method to deflect or destroy dangerous asteroids: the use of strategic nuclear explosives.
The proposal does not simply consist of throwing a bomb into space, but in a much more refined technique. Scientists suggest first digging a crater on the asteroid's surface, placing the nuclear warhead inside, and then carrying out the detonation. This pre-excavation detonation multiplies the energy released, managing to disintegrate the rock from the inside or drastically alter its orbit.
Asteroids are rocky remnants from the formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Of the approximately 16,000 near-Earth asteroids known, NASA classifies 1,784 as potentially hazardous. These have an orbit that brings them within 7,480,000 kilometers of our planet and are larger than 1,440 meters wide.
Although Earth is not in imminent danger today, it is always positive to be prepared. In the past, asteroid 2024 YR4 drew attention by showing a 3.1% chance of impact in 2031, but fortunately, the risk was later reduced to almost zero.
As a reference, in 2022 NASA successfully demonstrated the kinetic impact strategy through the DART mission, crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid to deflect it. However, for rocks larger than 100 meters and with little advance notice, the new Chinese nuclear method could be the key to safeguarding our planet.
Source: Gizmodo in Spanish
Alfredo S. Quiroga
