Odds of Asteroid 2024 Yr4 Hitting the Moon May Rise to 30 Per Cent
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Asteroid ImpactSpace ObservationJames Webb Space Telescope
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James Webb Space Telescope
The asteroid 2024 YR4 may have a 30% chance of hitting the moon, and astronomers are awaiting a potential observation opportunity with the James Webb Space Telescope in 2026 to refine its trajectory.
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> But now it seems the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will have a brief glimpse at 2024 YR4 in February 2026, which will represent the last good chance to decide on a deflection mission
If it's a concern, wouldn't it make sense to start planning a launch now? The worst case scenario is that we spend a few million dollars testing things in case we have to deflect something from the Earth, which sounds pretty dang cheap to me. Load it up with both deflection tech & with scientific tech, and you still get an asteroid fly-by even if the deflection isn't necessary. (And heck, maybe we can deflect it anyway, even further from the moon, to test things regardless.)
That being said, it's a good reason to work on asteroid deflection tech! Probably shouldn't waste it.