It seems we don't have the tech to move an asteroid on a collision course- the only option is to evacuate the potential strike zone.
Earth Helpless Against Giant Asteroids As NASA Simulation Ends In Doom
Read the rest of the article at the link.According to simulations conducted by leading space agencies, Earth lacks the technology to stop a massive asteroid from wiping out Europe, according to the Independent.
The week-long exercise led by Nasa concluded that catastrophe would be unavoidable, even given six months to prepare."If confronted with the scenario in real life, we would not be able to launch any spacecraft on such short notice with current capabilities," said the participants.
The hypothetical impact scenario, which took place during a planetary defence conference hosted by the United Nations, proved that governments are woefully unprepared for this kind of disaster. -Independent
According to the report, the only thing humanity could do in such an event is to evacuate the area before the asteroid hit - though the scenario's impact zone was across a large swath of North Africa and Europe.
"Each time we participate in exercises of this nature, we learn more about who the key players are in a disaster event, and who needs to know what information and when," said NASA Planetary Defense Officer, Lindley Johnson.
"These exercises ultimately help the planetary defence community communicate with each other and with our governments to ensure we are all coordinated should a potential impact threat be identified in the future."
Responding to the news of the failure, SpaceX boss Elon Musk said the lack of solution was “one of many reasons why we need larger and more advanced rockets”.According to SpaceX, Starship combined with its Super Heavy rocket booster will be "the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed," and could theoretically alter the trajectory of an Earth-bound asteroid.
SpaceX recently secured a $2.89 billion contract with Nasa to develop its next-generation Starship spacecraft, which is being built to transport people and cargo around the Solar System.