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Named the ‘city killer,’ the space rock measuring 130 to 300 feet wide, may cause a catastrophe if it impacts a densely populated area.
International space agencies, including NASA, are tracking asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a small but concerning chance of striking Earth in 2032.Named the ‘city killer,’ the space rock measuring 130 to 300 feet wide, may cause a catastrophe if it impacts a densely populated area. Bruce Betts, chief scientist at The Planetary Society, warned of its potential devastation. “If you put it over Paris, London, or New York, you basically wipe out the whole city and some of the environs,” he told AFP.
NASA has revised its risk assessment, reducing the impact probability from 3.1 per cent (1 in 32) to 1.5 per cent (1 in 67). While this is an improvement from earlier estimates, it still represents a serious enough threat for global space agencies to consider drastic action.
A project manager at Kennedy Space Centre said, “We know we have enough time to act, but now’s the time to start planning,” as per The NY Post.
How NASA Plans to Neutralise the Threat
NASA is already working with international partners, including China’s CNSA, Russia’s Roscosmos, and the European Space Agency (ESA), to formulate a response. If further calculations confirm a high probability of impact, experts may deploy a rocket armed with explosives to either alter the asteroid’s trajectory or destroy it entirely.
