How NASA Plans To Stop 'City-Killer' Asteroid

International space agencies, including NASA, are tracking asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a small but concerning chance of striking Earth in 2032.

Named the 'city-killer,' the space rock measuring 130 to 300 feet wide, may cause a catastrophe if it impacts a densely populated area. Bruce Betts, chief scientist at The Planetary Society, warned of its potential devastation. "If you put it over Paris, London, or New York, you basically wipe out the whole city and some of the environs," he told AFP.

NASA has revised its risk assessment, reducing the impact probability from 3.1 per cent (1 in 32) to 1.5 per cent (1 in 67). While this is an improvement from earlier estimates, it still represents a serious enough threat for global space agencies to consider drastic action.

A project manager at Kennedy Space Centre said, "We know we have enough time to act, but now's the time to start planning," as per The NY Post.

How NASA Plans to Neutralise the Threat

NASA is already working with international partners, including China's CNSA, Russia's Roscosmos, and the European Space Agency (ESA), to formulate a response. If further calculations confirm a high probability of impact, experts may deploy a rocket armed with explosives to either alter the asteroid's trajectory or destroy it entirely.

"Destroying it would be easy," the NASA official said. "It wouldn't even take that much explosives. The trick is getting to it, and delivering the explosives precisely at the right time, at the right angle. That's the hard part."

What Is YR4 Made Of?

One of the biggest challenges in dealing with YR4 is its unknown composition. If the asteroid is made of a porous material like the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, it could disintegrate easily upon impact with Earth's atmosphere. But if it is a dense rock or metal body, it would require significantly more force to deflect or break apart.

NASA has not confirmed whether a nuclear warhead is under consideration, though experts suggest the option remains open. The American space agency can track YR4 until April 2025 before it moves too far away for precise observations. The asteroid is expected to return in 2028.

Will the Risk Decrease Over Time?

First spotted in December 2024, YR4 had a 1 in 83 chance of striking Earth. Some experts predict that as more data is collected, the probability of impact will continue to decline.

"At some point in the next few months to a few years, the probability will go to zero," Mr Betts predicted. But NASA remains cautious.