China has begun recruiting for a planetary defense force amid rising concerns that asteroid 2024 YR4 could hit Earth in 2032.
By Aniket Chakraborty
Feb 17, 2025
SASTIND posted job ads on WeChat seeking candidates under 35 with advanced degrees in astrophysics, aerospace science, and space exploration technology.
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The probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth has recently increased from 1.3% to 2.2%, putting it at the top of European and US space agencies' risk lists.
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Applicants must demonstrate a "firm political stance" supporting the Chinese Communist Party and ideological alignment with President Xi Jinping.
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The new force will focus on "research on monitoring and early warning of near-Earth asteroids" alongside international cooperation initiatives.
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The UN's Space Mission Planning Advisory Group, which includes China, has been meeting regularly to coordinate a global response to the potential threat.
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China is preparing its own asteroid-redirection test in 2027, targeting a smaller asteroid named 2015 XF261.
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The recruitment has sparked widespread discussion among young Chinese citizens, who faced record high unemployment rates in 2023.
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Experts suggest China's planetary defense capabilities will include both ground and space-based monitoring systems and asteroid deflection technologies.
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Scientists note that humanity has successfully demonstrated asteroid deflection capability through NASA's 2020 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART).