NASA has assigned the asteroid “2024 YR4” a 3.1% impact probability for 2032, the highest ever recorded for a near-Earth object, posing a “city killer” risk. With a diameter of 40-100 meters, the asteroid could unleash 8 megatons of energy upon impact, but humanity has deflection strategies in place, including kinetic impact, to potentially alter its trajectory and mitigate the threat. The Space Mission Planning Advisory Group will reconvene in 2025 to assess the situation and recommend concrete actions if necessary, marking a potential real-world test of asteroid deflection on a threatening scale.
Full Article






