NASA has already successfully conducted trials of technologies aimed at diverting potentially hazardous asteroids, most notably through its groundbreaking Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission in 2022. This mission managed to alter the trajectory of an asteroid twice the size of the menacing Asteroid 2024 YR4. In a similar vein, China is gearing up to conduct its own asteroid-redirection experiment in 2027, albeit on a smaller asteroid.
Various space agencies are diligently collaborating on contingency plans for this asteroid, with two specialized response groups endorsed by the United Nations actively engaged in pinpointing its trajectory and devising potential intervention strategies. Ground-based observations of Asteroid 2024 YR4 will persist until April while it remains visible from Earth, after which it will disappear from view until June 2028 due to its diminishing brightness.
Furthermore, NASA is currently training its sights on the colossal task of closely monitoring the asteroid using the largest telescope ever constructed to gain deeper insights into its path, dimensions, and composition. According to Moly Wasser, a spokesperson from the US space agency, the upcoming observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in March 2025 will provide invaluable data for refining the understanding of the asteroid’s orbit, subsequently enhancing the accuracy of impact probability assessments. While there remains a chance that Asteroid 2024 YR4 may ultimately prove to be a non-threat, similar to many other objects previously flagged on NASA’s asteroid risk register, the likelihood of its impact cannot be entirely discounted and may, in fact, escalate as additional observations are gathered.
