China recruits for 'planetary defense force' amid asteroid impact fears
What's the story
In light of the threat of an asteroid collision in 2032, China has launched a recruitment campaign for a "planetary defense force."
The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) is looking for young graduates with expertise in aerospace engineering, international cooperation, and asteroid detection.
The move comes after the probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 rose from 1.3% to 2.2%.
Recruitment details
Job vacancies for China's planetary defense force
The recruitment advertisements, shared on WeChat, detail 16 job openings, including three specifically for the new planetary defense force.
Applicants would have to be under 35 years of age, have professional qualifications, and conform to the Chinese Communist Party's ideology.
The positions mainly involve international cooperation and developing systems for new technology to monitor and early warn near-Earth asteroids.
Asteroid threat
Asteroid 2024 YR4: A global concern
The asteroid 2024 YR4 is now a major concern for European and US space agencies as well.
It has a 97.9% chance of passing Earth safely but also poses a 2.1% risk of impact on December 22, 2032.
Potential impact zones cover areas from South America to Africa, including countries like Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sudan and Nigeria.
Redirection test
China's asteroid-redirection test planned for 2027
Apart from the recruitment drive, China is also gearing up for an asteroid-redirection test on a smaller asteroid called 2015 XF261 in 2027.
This comes after NASA's successful Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission in 2020.
However, experts such as Harrison Agrusa, a planetary scientist at the Observatoire del la Côte d'Azu, have raised concerns over targeting smaller asteroids due to the risk of fragmentation.
Global response
Global efforts to study and mitigate asteroid threat
China's recruitment drive comes amid wider international talks led by the UN's Space Mission Planning Advisory Group, with countries having space programs looking into how to respond to possible asteroid threats.
The global scientific community continues to analyze YR4's trajectory with the help of advanced telescopes to refine impact predictions and devise effective mitigation strategies.