According to the publication, the center for Special Projects in the State Administration of Defense Science, Technology and Industry of the People's Republic of China announced three vacancies in the planetary defense group. One of the reasons for the formation of the group was the discovery of a large asteroid that could collide with Earth in seven years.
The aim of the team being formed will be to study and monitor asteroids, as well as to develop early warning methods about the asteroid threat. Li Mingtao, a scientist from the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced the intention of scientists to "bring Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to protect the safety of the Earth."
The scientist also added that China has made great progress in protecting itself from asteroids. In the future, it is planned to comprehensively improve the configuration and performance of the equipment and train a team of talented specialists. Earlier, the European Space Agency updated the probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth in 2032 to 2.2%, putting it at the top of the list of space risks for our planet.
