---
title: "Nuclear Strike from Within: Chinese Scientists Propose New Method to Protect Earth from Asteroids"
description: "Chinese scientists have proposed a new method to protect Earth from asteroids: instead of a surface explosion, they suggest drilling a crater and detonating the charge inside the rock. The study shows that this is the only way to effectively destroy large objects threatening the planet. 🌍💥🚀"
date: 2026-07-13T05:14:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/nuclear-strike-from-within-chinese-scientists-propose-new-method-to-protect-earth-from-asteroids
tags: [china, nasa, asteroids, space-defense]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Nuclear Strike from Within: Chinese Scientists Propose New Method to Protect Earth from Asteroids

![Asteroid destroyed by internal nuclear explosion — illustration of China’s new Earth defense method](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/13/kitayskie-uchenyie-novyiy-metod-zashchityi-zemli-ot-asteroidov/kitayskie-uchenyie-novyiy-metod-zashchityi-zemli-ot-asteroidov-1.webp)

In space, where silence is broken only by the movement of celestial bodies, humanity constantly seeks ways to protect itself from potential threats. This time, new ideas have come from the Middle Kingdom. Chinese scientists have proposed radically revising the defense strategy against asteroids, abandoning conventional methods in favor of a deeper and more powerful impact.

According to a study published in the scientific journal *Space: Science and Technology*, experts suggest not just detonating a nuclear charge near or on the surface of a celestial body, but first drilling a deep crater into it. Only after the warhead is placed inside the asteroid should the detonation occur.

### Scale of the Threat and Current Methods

Statistics speak for themselves: astronomers currently know of about 16,000 near-Earth asteroids. According to NASA, 1,784 of them are classified as potentially hazardous. This category includes space rocks larger than 140 meters whose orbits pass within 7.48 million kilometers of our planet.

Although there is currently no direct threat of collision — for example, the risk of the asteroid 2024 YR4, which could have been a problem in 2032, was recently reduced to almost zero — humanity needs a reliable plan of action in case of real danger.

In 2022, NASA already demonstrated the effectiveness of the kinetic impact method during the DART mission. A spacecraft rammed an asteroid, successfully altering its trajectory. However, Chinese researchers point out the limitations of this method: for objects larger than 100 meters, a kinetic impact is ineffective, especially if there is critically little time left before collision.

### Why the Nuclear Option?

Researchers believe that only the colossal energy of a nuclear explosion can instantly solve the problem of a large celestial body. As part of their study, Chinese specialists modeled two options for using nuclear weapons against asteroids of different densities and sizes:

- **Direct detonation upon impact:** the charge explodes directly on the surface of the object. This method leaves only a small trace and does not guarantee the destruction of the target.

- **Preliminary creation of a deep crater:** using a special penetrative device, a deep cavity is created in the asteroid, into which the warhead is placed.

Computer modeling based on a database of virtual threats showed that the second option is the most effective solution. Thanks to the autonomous selection of the impact site and detonation at great depth, the explosive energy combines much better with the mass of the asteroid.

The result of such an impact will be that the space object will be shattered into small, safe fragments while still on approach to Earth, ruling out catastrophic consequences of the impact.

### Preparing for the Future

Scientists emphasize that, although the planet is currently safe, the development of such detailed defense plans is vital for the future of humanity. In conditions where technology is developing rapidly, having proven strategies for neutralizing threats from space becomes a matter of the survival of civilization.