China Targets 2029 Asteroid Impact at Mach 26 to Test Planetary Defense

By Bojan Stojkovski · Interesting Engineering · 2026-07-19

Interesting Engineering reports that the China National Space Administration is preparing a mission to strike asteroid 2015 XF261 to evaluate kinetic deflection techniques. The plan involves hitting the 98-foot wide space rock at speeds exceeding 5.6 miles per second to alter its

Interesting Engineering reports that the China National Space Administration is preparing a mission to strike asteroid 2015 XF261 to evaluate kinetic deflection techniques. The plan involves hitting the 98-foot wide space rock at speeds exceeding 5.6 miles per second to alter its