China plans to deploy a space-based monitoring constellation for asteroid monitoring and early warning

Relevant experts from the Center for Asteroid Monitoring and Warning Research of the China National Space Administration said that China is planning to build a spacebased monitoring constellation to enhance its ability to monitor and warn of nearEarth asteroids. This progress was introduced publicly on June 30, International Asteroid Day. Experts said that as of June 2026, more than 40,000 nearEarth asteroids have been discovered and numbered worldwide, but many targets remain undiscovered. No known asteroid has been confirmed to be on a collision course with Earth in the foreseeable future, so there is no need for excessive panic, but monitoring cannot be relaxed. According to the plan, China will advance both groundbased and spacebased observation methods in parallel: on the ground, it will build multiple largeaperture optical telescopes to form a more evenly distributed monitoring network; in space, it will deploy a telescope constellation, using the space environment to reduce the limitations caused by the atmosphere and the alternation of day and night, with a focus on filling the observation blind spot from the direction of the Sun. Through coordination between space and ground, the relevant system is expected to achieve more continuous asteroid observation and warning.