NASA researchers advocate nuclear destruction of asteroid 2024 YR4 to prevent potential lunar collision debris from threatening Earth's satellite infrastructure, with the space rock maintaining 4% Moon impact probability for December 2032, according to The Independent.
The 65-meter asteroid, initially considered an Earth threat, now poses minimal planetary collision risk while retaining significant lunar impact potential that could generate catastrophic debris clouds exceeding 100,000,000 kg, threatening orbital satellite systems for years, The Independent reported.
Space agencies propose unprecedented "kinetic disruption mission" utilizing dual 100-kiloton nuclear devices, each possessing five to eight times greater explosive power than Hiroshima atomic weapons, to completely fragment the asteroid rather than attempt deflection methods deemed impractical by researchers, according to The Independent. Scientists determined that deflection approaches prove insufficient given uncertainties about asteroid mass, which ranges between 72.7 million and 2 billion pounds, positioned currently beyond 379 million miles from Earth.
Mission development requires five to seven years with critical launch windows spanning late 2029 through late 2031, demanding significantly greater resources than NASA's successful 2022 DART mission that nudged asteroid Dimorphos off course through spacecraft collision, The Independent noted. "Deflection missions were assessed and appear impractical," researchers documented, leading to nuclear intervention as the preferred planetary defense strategy.
Lunar impact scenarios predict crater formation approximately 1km (0.6 miles) in diameter, with resulting debris material expected to "accrete to the Earth on timescales of a few days" and expose satellites to meteorite bombardment across multiple years, according to research findings reported by The Independent. This debris threat represents unprecedented risks to Earth's critical satellite infrastructure supporting communications, navigation, and scientific operations.
Nuclear mission architecture includes backup systems with researchers explaining that "A second nuclear explosive device is onboard in case it is needed; otherwise, it can be safely disposed of by detonating it in deep space after the asteroid is successfully deflected by the first one," according to The Independent. The unprecedented nuclear space mission could establish new planetary defense protocols for future potentially hazardous asteroid encounters.
Scientists emphasize measured approach noting that "when considering the various mission options we describe herein, it is important to keep in mind that 2024 YR4's lunar impact probability currently stands at about 4 per cent," while acknowledging the mission represents humanity's first serious consideration of nuclear intervention for planetary defense, The Independent reported.
