The Aerospace Corporation, a nonprofit organization based in California, is making significant strides in the development of an asteroid deflection system designed to address mid-sized asteroids capable of causing widespread damage on Earth. This groundbreaking system aims to alter the trajectory of asteroids by utilizing their rocky debris, redirecting them away from Earth.

In an interview with Gizmodo, Nahum Melamed, a project leader at The Aerospace Corporation, explained that the team focused on objects of comparable size to the Chelyabinsk asteroid, considering the potential threats they could pose in our lifetime. Through their research, they have successfully demonstrated the capability to deflect such asteroids within a few weeks of operation using their system.

Inspired by SpinLaunch’s suborbital accelerator, The Aerospace Corporation drew upon its design to conceptualize their own system. SpinLaunch recently catapulted a NASA payload to high altitudes, employing a centrifuge mechanism that rapidly spins payloads at 10,000 g’s before launching them into the sky. The ultimate goal of SpinLaunch is to utilize this technology to launch small satellites and payloads into low Earth orbit, significantly reducing the required fuel compared to traditional rocket launches. Building upon this concept, Melamed sought to explore how a similar system could be adapted to deflect an incoming asteroid.

Unlike SpinLaunch’s suborbital accelerator, The Aerospace Corporation’s version is not intended for launching payloads into space. Instead, it will be launched into space itself, where it will rendezvous with a near-Earth asteroid. Once the payload reaches the target asteroid, the centrifugal system will anchor itself onto the space rock, extracting regolith (loose surface material) at high speeds and flinging it outward. By utilizing the regolith as a propellant, the system effectively alters the asteroid’s trajectory. Approximately 20 lbs of regolith will be ejected at speeds ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 miles per second (1 to 2 kilometers per second), generating the necessary force to push the asteroid off its current path. The repetitive application of this process over weeks and months should progressively deflect the asteroid.

According to The Aerospace Corporation, this method can deflect asteroids with widths between 30 to 60 meters in a matter of weeks, while larger asteroids may require months. Melamed also mentioned that the centrifuge system could potentially serve as a space mining tool, ensuring it remains useful during periods when asteroid threats are not imminent.

Melamed emphasized the simplicity of their approach compared to NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which involved deliberately crashing a spacecraft into a near-Earth asteroid. He described DART as a “punch to the asteroid” that produces a deflection in a single attempt. However, the complexity of the mission, from spacecraft development to deployment, coupled with uncertain outcomes, makes it a more intricate endeavor. In contrast, The Aerospace Corporation’s system is still in the early stages of development, with plans to conduct an Earth-based prototype trial within the next two years.

While there are currently no known asteroids posing a threat to Earth in the next century, NASA acknowledges that a few large space rocks have been detected at the last moment in recent years. Therefore, it is prudent to continue developing multiple asteroid deflection technologies to enhance our preparedness for potential global catastrophes.

By Impact Lab