Special to CosmicTribune.com, July 1, 2026

Geostrategy-Direct

By Richard Fisher

While China has been considering the problems of asteroid defense since at least about 2020, there may now be real plans for the construction of a Chinese planetary defense capability — with inherit dual-use dangers.

On June 30, Chinese state television CCTV featured an official from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) noting, “the country will establish a ground and space coordinated monitoring system for near Earth asteroids to provide early warning support for planetary defense against asteroid impacts.”

What will this coordinated monitoring system consist of? The CCTV report states:

“On the ground, we will select optimal observation sites and deploy multiple large aperture optical telescopes to form a ground-based monitoring and warning network. In space, we will launch telescopes beyond the atmosphere, coordinating with ground assets to achieve continuous round the clock observation.”

In addition, the graphics used in the CCTV report indicate that ground-based radar will also feature heavily in this coordinated ground-space monitoring system.

But of greater concern, CCTV noted this official noted, “As a responsible space faring nation, China is currently evaluating a planetary defense system.”

CCTV noted, as also reported on that same day by state media Global Times, “China has made initial breakthroughs in early-warning models and algorithms for asteroid impact risks, and is developing an operational near-Earth asteroid risk warning system.”

This suggests that China has incorporated Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assess and prioritize the potentially large number of asteroid targets that would be gathered ground and space-based sensors.

But how to actually defend against the asteroid?

CCTV stated:

“Experts note there are currently two main types of technology, kinetic impact and continuous pushing. The former uses high-speed impacts to instantly change an asteroid’s orbit, while the latter uses methods like gravity tractors or laser oblation to deflect it over the long term.”

Global Times cited one of its oft-consulted experts, Song Zhongping saying, “…one of the most straightforward approaches is kinetic impact, in which a spacecraft or missile collides with the asteroid to alter its trajectory or break it into smaller fragments, thereby reducing the overall threat.”

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