Experts Propose Placing Telescopes at the Lunar Poles and Launching Satellites into Orbit to Intercept Dangerous Asteroids.
Chinese scientists have indicated that the country could expand its developing planetary defense system to the Moon, and even further, to protect Earth from asteroid collisions, SCMP reported on July 22.
Illustration of the Moon, Earth, and an approaching asteroid. (Image: iStock)
Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China’s Lunar Exploration Program, stated that the new plan includes placing three protective satellites equipped with ample fuel and weapons into lunar orbit. Two optical telescopes will be installed at the Moon’s south and north poles to survey the sky and detect any threats that slip through the early warning networks on Earth, particularly objects coming from the “blind spot” – the direction of the Sun.
Upon detecting a surprise “visitor” that could cause significant damage, the system will dispatch one or all of the protective satellites to intercept the object, with a total response time of just about one week, faster than any large rocket launched from Earth, according to the research team.
“It will be capable of intercepting asteroids approaching from all directions and could create a defensive circle twice the distance between the Moon and Earth, which means a diameter of about 800,000 km”, Wu and colleagues presented in their study published in the journal Scientia Sinica Informationis on July 20.
The Lunar Defense System has not yet been approved by the Chinese government. However, the research team indicated that this system would elevate China’s space technology to new heights.
China is currently building a defense system on Earth that includes massive radars and telescopes. However, Wu noted that an Earth-based system would have many limitations.
Astronomers estimate that about 60% of asteroids large enough to devastate a nation are not tracked or recorded by humans. These asteroids come from the direction of the Sun. The blinding light of the Sun makes detection with optical telescopes nearly impossible. Meanwhile, radar systems typically perform best when tracking known targets. Moreover, the increasing number of satellites in orbit will reduce the chances of detecting small celestial bodies from afar.
Most of these issues could be resolved with telescopes operating at the lunar poles, according to Wu’s research team. They calculated that the field of view of the lunar telescopes would nearly compensate for all blind spots on Earth.
Building such a facility on the Moon’s surface would require significant costs and resources. According to Wu and colleagues, China could invite other countries to collaborate in constructing these observatories as part of the International Lunar Research Station – a project coordinated by China and Russia aimed at establishing a long-term settlement on the Moon by 2030. However, before construction on the Moon, China needs to launch satellites into lunar orbit to test the latest monitoring, tracking, and interception technologies.
