Scientists say that while there are no known near-Earth asteroids currently on a collision path, the number of newly discovered asteroids remains high, keeping the risk of a potential impact in view.
One widely discussed mitigation approach is the DART mission, which demonstrates that a kinetic impactor can change an asteroid’s trajectory. However, the articles note limitations: the spacecraft approaches from behind while traveling in the same direction as the target, and completing the required orbital maneuvers demands substantial lead time.
As an alternative, researchers at Beihang University describe “diffractive solar sails” designed to deflect an asteroid by approaching and effectively striking it head on. The proposal focuses on enabling deflection even at high relative speeds—up to about 100 km/s—using a solar-sail technology rather than a launched impactor.
Phys.org reiterates the motivation and the asteroid-discovery context, while Universe Today adds more detail about how DART works and the specific diffractive solar sail concept proposed by the Beihang University researchers.
