Recently, at the 3rd International Conference on Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu), Academician Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration project, director and chief scientist of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, systematically introduced the international development trends and latest achievements in the field of asteroid exploration, defense, and resource development and utilization, and put forward China’s concept of asteroid exploration, defense, and resource development and utilization, and at the same time issued a cooperation initiative to international partners.
Wu Weiren explained that there are billions of asteroids in the solar system. These asteroids are rich in resources such as iron, nickel, platinum-group metals, and water ice, possessing significant economic value and serving as “living fossils” of the solar system’s formation and evolution. Furthermore, near-Earth asteroids (NEA) are among the most potentially threatening objects in the solar system, with asteroid impacts listed by the United Nations as one of the top 20 catastrophic threats to human survival. For example, in early 2025, the probability of an impact with asteroid 2024YR4 rose to 3.1%, causing significant global concern.
Relevant data shows that as of March 2025, a total of 38,171 NEOs had been discovered, including 38,048 near-Earth asteroids and 123 near-Earth comets. However, due to the difficulty of asteroid monitoring, only 1% of the NEOs have been cataloged, and a significant number remain uncataloged.
“From the perspective of safeguarding Earth’s security and the continuation of humanity, building asteroid defense capabilities is a shared mission for all of humanity,” Wu Weiren stated. As a responsible space power, China has the responsibility, obligation, and ability to contribute its wisdom and strength to systematically build an asteroid exploration and defense system, working alongside the rest of the world to protect our home planet.
Currently, asteroid discovery and monitoring primarily rely on ground-based optical, ground-based radar, and space-based infrared methods. Since the 1990s, the United States, Japan, and the European Space Agency have conducted over ten asteroid exploration, defense, and resource exploration missions, resulting in a series of significant scientific discoveries and demonstrating the effectiveness of kinetic impact technology in changing asteroid orbits.
In recent years, the China National Space Administration has launched programs for near-Earth asteroid exploration and asteroid defense, specifically proposing the “demonstration and implementation of a near-Earth asteroid defense system.” On May 29th of this year, the Tianwen-2 probe was successfully launched, with the goal of returning samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3 and subsequently conducting a flyby exploration of the main-belt comet 311P.
From the perspectives of monitoring and early warning, on-orbit disposal, and system response, Chinese scientists have proposed a relatively comprehensive strategic vision for building a near-Earth asteroid exploration and defense system. First, they aim to establish a space-ground integrated coordinated monitoring and early warning system with precise early warning and routine operation. This will establish a multi-caliber, multi-functional, and highly efficient ground-based monitoring network to meet the needs of daily cataloging, threat warning, and short-term forecasting missions. Furthermore, they will build a comprehensive asteroid exploration and defense service system with capabilities for data collection, catalog updates, and risk assessment, enabling operational asteroid exploration and defense. Second, for on-orbit disposal, they will develop a capability that prioritizes kinetic impact and complements multiple technologies. Develop disposal spacecraft and in-orbit assessment spacecraft with multiple means, establish a near-Earth asteroid defense mission library, and formulate disposal plans in advance for the impact risks of asteroids of different sizes to achieve “prepared plans as soon as they are discovered and responses to risks as soon as they are risky.”
Currently, China has built a 1-meter dedicated telescope at the Purple Mountain Observatory, a 2.5-meter wide-field survey telescope at Lenghu, and the 2.16-meter Xinglong, 2.4-meter Lijiang, and 1.8-meter telescopes. The “China Compound Eye” project plans to construct 25 30-meter aperture radars. Upon completion, it will be capable of detecting and performing high-precision imaging of asteroids tens of millions of kilometers away, essentially forming a ground-based monitoring network with multiple apertures, multiple functions, and efficient coordination.
“When we discover an asteroid that poses a potential threat to Earth and the warning level reaches a certain level, we must conduct an on-orbit disposal,” said Wu Weiren. China is currently evaluating kinetic impact disposal options and conducting research on various long-term disposal methods, including laser ablation and adhesion push-off.
Wu Weiren explained that in the near future, China will conduct a kinetic impact demonstration mission on a potentially threatening asteroid. This mission will utilize a “flyby + impact + flyby” model, deploying an observer and an impactor. The observer will first arrive at the target asteroid for close-up observations, acquiring detailed characteristic parameters. The impactor will then impact the asteroid at high speed. Throughout the impact process, a joint space-ground approach will utilize close-range high-speed imaging and other technologies to observe changes in the asteroid’s orbit, morphology, and ejecta, accurately assessing the impact effects.
Asteroid resource development and utilization is not only a key area of deep space exploration but also a core pillar of the future space economy and extraterrestrial resource replenishment. Continuous breakthroughs in new technologies such as space nuclear energy, quantum technology, and embodied intelligence will significantly advance asteroid resource development and utilization toward intelligent, low-cost, and commercialized operations, gradually establishing a large-scale asteroid resource development and utilization industry chain.
Asteroid exploration, defense, and resource development and utilization are complex engineering systems, possess enormous industrial and economic potential, and present significant technical challenges for in-orbit implementation, making them suitable for international collaboration. To this end, Wu Weiren advocates for active global cooperation in areas such as joint ground-based monitoring, joint development and payload deployment, and data and research sharing to build an asteroid defense system, develop the deep space economy, protect Earth, and sustain human civilization.
