Analysis the Principle and the State-of-Art Scenarios for
Asteroid Detection
Jietang Zhang
Chengdu Shude High School, Bairohongxi road, Chengdu, China
Keywords: Asteroid Detection, Celestial Investigation, Space Exploration.
Abstract: As a matter of fact, small celestial bodies are home to the elements that first made up the solar system and
may hold crucial secrets about the beginnings of life and water on Earth especially based on the observations
in recent years. In reality, they are living fossils that may be used to learn about the solar system's formation
as well as evolution. For the main spaceflight nations, asteroid detection has emerged as one of the main
development objectives in the realm of deep space exploration in recent years. With this in mind, this study
briefly summarizes the international asteroid detection process and demonstrate the principle as well as the
state-of-art detection facilities. At the same time, this research summarizes the research and development
trends of asteroid detection and focuses on the main key technologies facing future asteroid detection
missions. According to the analysis, this study puts forward relevant suggestions for China's subsequent
asteroid detection activities.
1 INTRODUCTION
Small solar system objects refer to celestial bodies
that orbit the sun but do not qualify as planets or
dwarf planets, including asteroids, comets, meteors
and other interstellar materials. Among them ,
asteroids contain valuable information regarding the
beginnings, development, and evolution of the early
solar system. They may additionally hold crucial
hints regarding the beginnings of water and life on
Earth. They serve as "living fossils" for research on
the solar system's formation. Since the 1990s,
exploration activities targeting asteroids have
increased, becoming a hot topic in the field of deep
space exploration and achieving relatively fruitful
results (Ye et al., 2018; Sun & Meng, 2015). The
lunar exploration project implemented in 2004 kicked
off Chinese deep space exploration. In January 2019,
Chinese "Chang'e 4" probe achieved the world's first
soft landing detection on the back of the moon and
achieved five achievements (Wu et al., 2017; Ye et
al., 2017).
On the basis of the phased results achieved by the
lunar exploration project, in January 2016, the first
Mars exploration mission was approved (Geng et al.
2018), and deep space exploration was included in the
"Outline of the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for
National Economic and Social Development of the
People's Republic of China.” Science and
Technology Innovation 2030—Major Project”. The
white paper "China's Space in 2016" published on
December 27 of the same year clearly stated that carry
out in-depth demonstration and key technology
research on plans for Mars sample return, asteroid
detection, Jupiter galaxy and planetary transit
detection, etc., and conduct timely research on key
technologies. Start the implementation of the project
to study major scientific issues such as the origin and
evolution of the solar system and the search for
information about extraterrestrial life. For the main
spaceflight nations, asteroid detection has emerged as
one of the main development objectives in the realm
of deep space exploration in recent years. In August
2013, the International Space Exploration
Coordination was jointly established by 14 space
agencies including the China Space Administration,
the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The
group (referred to as ISECG) released the "Global
Exploration Roadmap" (European Space Agency,
2019), which determined that the main tasks of small
celestial body detection are: verifying innovative
outer space exploration technologies and capabilities;
deepenning the understanding of the evolution and
life of natural celestial bodies in the solar system
Zhang, J.
Analysis the Principle and the State-of-Art Scenarios for Asteroid Detection.
DOI: 10.5220/0013075600004601
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovations in Applied Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy (IAMPA 2024), pages 313-320
ISBN: 978-989-758-722-1
Proceedings Copyright © 2024 by SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications, Lda.
313
Evolution as well as testing methods for resisting
risks from near-Earth asteroids. Based on a brief
review of the history of human exploration of small
celestial bodies, this article discusses the future
planning of asteroid detection and the main key
technologies it faces, and gives corresponding
enlightenment and suggestions.
2 DEVELOPMENT HISTORY OF
SMALL CELESTIAL BODY
DETECTION
Humans initially used ground-based telescopes to
observe and study asteroids, and could only obtain
basic orbital parameters and some physical
characteristics. The measurement of material
composition, internal structure, gravitational field
and other parameters was almost blank. With the
development of aerospace technology, humans used
spacecraft to conduct close observations of small
celestial bodies in the 1970s. The last three decades
have seen the completion of several distinct historic
missions by the US, Europe, and Japan as part of an
international effort to explore minor celestial bodies.
14 minor celestial body discoveries have been made
so far by nations all around the world. Among them,
the asteroid sampling return missions of Japan and
America have reached the detection target, and
sampling and other on-orbit operations are ongoing as
shown in Figure 1 (Geng et al. 2018).
The exploration of asteroids has progressed from
close flybys (e.g., the Deep Space 1, Stardust, and
Rosetta missions) to asteroid orbiting detection (like
the Near Earth Asteroid RendezvoHs (NEAR)
detector and the Dawn detection mission). Following
this, attached and in-place detection (like the Rosetta
mission) has led to the current asteroid surface sample
return programs (like the Hayabusa 1, Hayabusa 2,
and OSIRIS-REx missions).
Judging from scientific results, through different
detection missions, the precise orbit, movement
speed, volume, material composition, and internal
structure of the target small celestial body have been
determined (Binzel, 2015; Bottke et al., 2006; Daly et
al., 2017; Delbo et al., 2014; Hiroi et al., 2006;
Hergenrother, 2013; Lauretta et al., 2015; Lauretta,
2017; Scheeres et al., 2016). For example, during its
flight by comet 19P/Borrelly, the dimensions, shape,
surface characteristics, brightness, mass, density, and
rotational state of the cometary nucleus of both
comets and asteroids were seen by the U.S. "Deep
Space 1" mission. Additionally, the plasma properties
of the coma were explored. The interaction between
the comet's core and the solar wind, along with the
brightness and characteristics of the dust and gas
flows erupting from it, are crucial factors to take into
account. the samples returned by the Japanese
"Hayabusa 1" mission were analyzed in the ground
laboratory for amino acids, polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons Analytical tests of organic compounds
have shown that Itokawa's organic compounds are of
abiotic origin. These missions are mostly focused on
scientific questions, such as how the solar system
formed, how life first emerged, how to better
understand the principles governing planet formation
and evolution, and how life first emerged.
Figure 1: The mission's history of tiny body exploration (Geng et al. 2018).
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3 CHARACTERISTICS AND
DEVELOPMENT TRENDS OF
SMALL CELESTIAL BODY
DETECTION MISSIONS
In recent years, space agencies and countries such as
the United States, ESA, and Japan have also planned
multiple asteroid detection missions (Landis, 2019;
Zou, 2017), as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Planed asteroid exploration missions.
Mission
Country Time Main Tas
k
Lucy United
State
2021 Fly to the Trojan
asteroi
d
DART United
State
2021 Hitting a near-Earth
double bod
y
asteroi
d
Psyche United
State
2022 Detecting the main belt
M-type of Psyche
Destiny Japan&Ger
man
y
2022 Asteroid dust detection
Gastonia Europe 2028 Main belt comet 133P
orbiting detection
GAUSS Euro
p
e 2029 Ceres sam
p
lin
g
return
3.1 Situation of United States
The U.S. that has initiated the detection of tiny
celestial bodies earliest and carried out the most tiny
celestial body detection missions to date is the United
States. It has launched a total of 4 detectors with the
main mission of asteroid detection. From comets to
Kuiper belt asteroids, the detected objects range from
near-Earth asteroids and main belt asteroids. Among
them, the "Dawn" probe has completed the orbiting
detection of the main belt "Ceres" (Ceres) and
"Vesta" (Vesta); the "New Horizons" (New Horizons)
flew over the The Kuiper belt small object 2014
MU69 (Ultima Thule) is a large solar object with a
distance of 43 AU, and its shape directly confirms the
pebble accretion model of planet formation. So far,
human detectors have visited eight major planets,
asteroids, comets, and Kuiper Belt objects. On
September 9, 2016, the United States launched the
asteroid sampling return probe "Osiris" to the ancient
asteroid Bennu (Chesley et al., 2014; Lauretta, 2012),
and arrived near the carbonaceous asteroid on
December 3, 2018, a detailed investigation is
currently being carried out, the sampling point has
been determined, and the samples will be returned to
Earth in September 2023. This mission is another
NASA deep space sampling return mission after the
"Apollo" lunar landing project collected lunar rock
samples and the "Stardust" probe brought comet
samples back to Earth. Through the implementation
of this mission, the United States will continue to
expand the technological gap with other countries and
maintain its dominant status in the aerospace
industry. NASA unveiled the "Lucy" and "Psyche"
missions, two newly chosen low-cost, discovery-
level detection missions, in January 2017. Among
them, A mission named "Lucy" is scheduled to launch
in 2021, enter the asteroid belt in 2025, and search for
the Trojan group of asteroids between 2027 and 2033.
The mission consists of five Trojan asteroids orbiting
Jupiter and one target in the asteroid belt. Launched
in October 2023, the "Psyche" mission is scheduled
to reach the 16th asteroid, Psyche, in 2030. A huge
metal body made of iron, nickel, and rare metals
(including gold, platinum and copper) is the target.
With a diameter of More than 200 km, the detector
will launch a 20-month detection study. In addition,
NASA will soon implement a Dual Asteroid Impact
Mission (DART) to conduct early on-orbit
verification of the "Kinetic Impact" defense
technology. The DART impactor is expected to be
launched in 2021 and will hit the target asteroid in
October of the following year. The probe will detect
the surface morphology and geology of the primary
and secondary stars before impact. The impact will be
carried out when ground observation capabilities
allow. The entire process will be observed from the
ground and the implementation effect of the dynamic
impact will be evaluated.
3.2 The State of Japan
Japan started late in the field of asteroid detection, but
with unique ideas and planning, it launched a mission
with the goal of achieving a one-step return of
asteroid samples and achieved major breakthroughs.
In June 2010, Japan's Hayabusa successfully
completed the world's first sample return mission and
returned to Earth, causing a huge sensation in the
industry. JAXA took advantage of the situation and
launched the "Hyabusa 2" project. The "Hyabusa 2"
was successfully launched on December 3, 2014,
Beijing time. The probe arrived at the target asteroid
in 2018 and has now completed two touch sampling
operations in orbit, will return to Earth with samples
in 2020. n 2022, Japan and Germany collaborated to
launch the "Destiny+" probe. Around 2026, it will
approach the near-Earth asteroid Phaethon, where it
Analysis the Principle and the State-of-Art Scenarios for Asteroid Detection
315
will measure the dust's velocity and direction and
examine its composition. Fig. 2 shows Japan’s small
celestial body exploration plan. According to
Japanese specialists, "Hyabusa 1" and "Hyabusa 2"
are just the beginning of its program for deep space
exploration. Japan will adhere to the concept of
independent development and continue to conduct
systematic and step-by-step research on the solar
system and the origin and evolution of life.
detection.This demonstrates Japan's aspiration to join
the world's elite in the field of deep space exploration
by leveraging the world-class research outcomes in
asteroid detection (Chesley et al., 2014; Lauretta,
2012).
Figure 2: Roadmap of Japan asteroid exploration (Chesley et al., 2014).
3.3 The Status of European
Europe actively promotes asteroid sampling return
missions through international cooperation. While it
lacks experience in asteroid detection, Europe leads
the world in comet detection. The implementation of
asteroid detecting missions is aggressively promoted
through international cooperation. On March 2,
2004,the "Rosetta-Philae" detector by ESA was
launched successfully, and the target rendezvoused
with the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
(67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) and detect its
position. The probe flew for ten years, relying three
times on the gravitational acceleration of Earth and
Mars. Philae touched down on the target comet's
surface on November 12, 2014, and conducted in-situ
detection.
While comet detection has made major
achievements, Europe is also actively promoting
asteroid detection missions. In 2015, the MarcoPolo-
2D project was jointly proposed and applied for by
the Beijing Institute of Technology, the Paris
Observatory in France, the Open University in the
UK, the China Academy of Space Technology, and
other international and domestic research institutions
to finish the 2011 SG286 asteroid. The samples were
sent back, but for a variety of reasons they were not
chosen. A Ceres sample return mission and a main-
belt comet 133P detection mission have both been
proposed recently by European scientists.
3.4 The status of China
In the early 1990s China launched relevant basic
research on asteroid detection. With ongoing
observations of solar system asteroids by
astronomers, the Observatory System of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences has a solid basis in asteroid
observation, asteroid orbital mechanics, and
ephemeris prediction. Theoretical research has been
conducted on asteroid detection orbit design, faint
celestial body identification and tracking, and other
technologies. On December 13, 2012, at 16:30, the
"Chang'e 2" spacecraft of China successfully detected
Toutatis (Toutatis/4179), an asteroid located around 7
million kilometers from Earth, through a near flyby.
The successful acquisition of the first-ever high-
resolution optical photograph of an asteroid
established the foundation for engineering practice
that China will need to conduct comprehensive
asteroid exploration (Huang, 2013). Tutatis has an
uneven form, as determined by the study of the
asteroid's interior structure, physical properties, and
potential origin using high-resolution photos of
asteroid No. 4179 taken by "Chang'e 2". A flat
surface, shaped like a piece of ginger, consisting of a
smaller end "Head" and a larger end "Body". Through
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316
research, some new features of Toutatis' surface were
discovered that had not been discovered in earlier
ground radar observations: at the end of the "body" is
a massive basin with a diameter of approximately 800
meters, and more than 50 clearly visible spots may be
located on the surface. Craters of various sizes,
including two that partially obscured one another
after being created close to the same spot; the "neck"
connects the "head" and "body" at a nearly vertical
angle; there are There are more than 30 areas with
boulder features; evenfeatures such as smaller linear
structures can be distinguished via Fig. 3 (Huang et
al., 2013). Tutatis is most likely a Close Approach
binary asteroid with a rubble pile structure based on
its structural features. It could be the result of the
YORP effect or the slow approach of two separate
little objects. Alternatively, there may be a
widespread impact to blame. In addition, since 2010,
relevant domestic research institutions and
universities, with the support of civil aerospace
advance research, natural funds, etc., have carried out
research and advanced technical research on asteroid
detection, including research on asteroid monitoring
and defense technology and small celestial body
detection strategies ( Relevant research results have
been achieved in aspects such as target selection),
asteroid resource development and utilization
technology, and surface detection of weak gravity
small celestial bodies.
Figure 3: Physiognomy Features of Tutattis (Huang et al., 2013).
3.5 Main Implications
Summarizing the development history of asteroid
exploration over the past many years, it can be seen
from the implemented tasks and plans of various
countries that asteroid exploration, lunar exploration,
and Mars exploration are both important research
directions for deep space exploration in the 21st
century. The following trends are shown:
Asteroid detection has progressed from flyby and
companion flight detection to surface soft landing and
sample return detection. In the early days of asteroid
detection, only flyby or companion flights could be
completed due to technical limitations, making it
impossible to accomplish asteroid surface landing
and return detection. Asteroid detection was mostly
completed as an expansion stage of a certain detection
mission. However, with the continuous advancement
of orbit design and navigation control technology,
advanced propulsion technology and surface
operation technology, the form of asteroid detection
has gradually developed into in-place detection and
sample return detection, thus enabling greater
scientific detection results. At present, Japan has
achieved the return of samples from the surface of the
asteroid, and the European "Rosetta-Philae" probe is
also conducting more detailed scientific research on
the surface of the comet. The United States, Europe,
and Japan are all actively promoting follow-up plans.
Implementation of the asteroid sampling return
mission.
The asteroid exploration mission has many bright
spots in scientific objectives and new technologies are
highly motivating. Small solar system objects,
including asteroids and comets, are thought to
represent leftovers of the solar system's early
development and can offer crucial hints for
fundamental scientific studies on the genesis of
planets, the solar system's history, and the beginning
of life. Scientists have brought up cutting-edge
scientific questions about small celestial bodies,
including "the origin of organic matter, the
distribution and source of water, dynamic formation
and evolution, and the threat of collisions with near-
Earth asteroids." Scientists' interest in exploring these
scientific questions has grown significantly. The
Analysis the Principle and the State-of-Art Scenarios for Asteroid Detection
317
implementation of small celestial body detection
missions also involves a series of key technologies
such as space propulsion technology, space energy
technology, small celestial body surface attachment
technology, and sampling technology under
microgravity conditions. The long detection mission
cycle, long target distance, and moderate target size
make the detection of small celestial bodies has
become a unique testing ground for these new
technologies. The U.S. Deep Space 1 probe and
Japan's Hayabusa probe have both achieved
important results in the demonstration and
verification of new technologies. The verified
technologies have also provided important technical
support for countries in subsequent deep space
exploration missions.
A potential basis for global collaboration in the
high-tech aerospace sector is asteroid detection.
There are a large number of small celestial bodies,
complex and changeable orbits, and different shapes,
making detection very difficult. International
cooperation is now necessary because no one nation
or institution can carry out in-depth research on
several asteroids on its own. For example, the
scientific payload of the "Dawn" probe came from
multiple aerospace departments or research institutes
such as Germany and Italy, and the "Rosetta-Philae"
probe brought together the efforts of America, Italy,
Germany, France, and other countries to complete the
current mission. Complete scientific payload
configuration and international cooperation will
achieve "normalization" in subsequent asteroid
exploration.
4 MAIN KEY TECHNOLOGY
An environment of "microgravity and uncertainty" is
what asteroids are like. "Microgravity" means that the
surface of the asteroid is in a microgravity
environment (about 10-4g) and the escape velocity is
very low; "uncertain" means that there is very little
prior knowledge about the asteroid, and before the
detector arrives, it can generally only be determined
with the help of Astronomical observations and
theoretical assumptions predict its rotation period,
topography, surface physical properties, etc., and
there is little prior knowledge. Therefore, the
implementation process of asteroid sampling return
technology is fundamentally different from that of
large planets such as the moon and Mars. Further
advancements in many of key technologies are
required to support programs aimed at exploring Mars
and the Moon. Among these are critical technologies
that urgently require advancements: light and
compact high-speed re-entry and return; long-life
electric propulsion; precise point attachment control;
and mild gravity attachment sampling.
Because of the asteroid's great distance from
Earth, only a limited set of physical attributes and
fundamental orbital parameters can be obtained by
ground observations. The asteroid's weak
gravitational field prevents the establishment of an
orbit, so the resolution of the asteroid's material
composition and shape is very limited, and the size
and structure of the asteroid are very limited,
topography, motion characteristics (rotation axis
direction, precise rotation period), gravitational field,
magnetic field and other physical information are
almost blank. Traditionally, the laws of detection
targets and their environment are the conditions for
spacecraft landing and navigation, but asteroid
attachment detection is a scientific activity carried out
to obtain these laws. Traditional navigation methods
cannot support the safe and accurate attachment of a
probe to the surface of an asteroid with a size of only
a few hundred meters. In addition, there is a certain
deviation in the ephemeris of asteroids. As the
detector's distance from the earth increases, the
accuracy of ground-based orbit determination also
decreases significantly. It is difficult to rely solely on
ground-based orbit determination results to meet the
mission requirements of the detector to rendezvous
and attach to the asteroid.
In summary, whether in terms of model
establishment, control schemes or sensor capabilities,
higher margins and greater robustness are required to
adapt to the impact of uncertainty in asteroid target
characteristics (Cui & Cui, 2002; Li et al., 2012). For
the detector to be safe and to fulfil its mission
objectives, it must be equipped with high-precision,
high-robust autonomous navigation and fixed-point
attachment control capabilities (Ye et al., 2015).
The asteroid's surface is where the detector is
fixed. Sampling the asteroid is an important way to
obtain asteroid information. It is necessary to achieve
the rendezvous, attachment and sampling of asteroids
in a weak gravity environment. Long-term attachment
will be crucial for future missions due to the need for
the growth and utilization of asteroid resources, and
multi-point sampling detection on the surface will
increase the mission's detection range and enhance its
return on investment. The asteroid attachment
sampling process can be divided into attachment
surface, sample collection, sample transfer and other
links. Each link faces new problems and technical
challenges.
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During the process of attachment to the surface,
the gravitational field of the asteroid is weak and the
surface escape velocity is small. The most likely
possibility is that it will rebound during attachment.
Uncontrolled rebound is the most dangerous part of
the asteroid attachment. The detector may lose
control of its attitude, roll over, or even be damaged
by collision. How to maintain posture and avoid
losing control during contact with an asteroid is one
of the challenges. During the sample collection
process, unlike the moon and Mars, all materials
during the asteroid sample collection process are
basically in a state of free movement, and the open
shovelling and digging methods that can be used in a
gravity environment are ineffective. Special sample
collection methods adapted to microgravity
environments need to be developed, and challenges
such as how to constrain the movement direction of
the samples need to be solved.
The sample transfer process is similar to sample
collection. It is necessary to find a solution to the
constraint problem regarding the direction of sample
movement and to maximize the sample transfer
method's flexibility. In addition, in order to ensure
successful sampling and meet mission requirements,
it is also necessary to confirm the final state of the
sample transfer to the returner and measure the
sample collection volume. The asteroid attachment
sampling process is complex and has many interface
constraints. The technical challenges in each link
mentioned above have brought great difficulties to the
system design, test verification, etc. of the sampling
mechanism, sample container, etc. It is necessary to
carry out integrated and refined design of the attached
sampling system and build an integrated verification
environment based on the top-level requirements of
the task, carry out sufficient ground testing and
verification work.
The probe flies from the earth to the target
asteroid far away from the main belt for orbiting
detection. The whole process requires a speed
increment of about 8 km/s. On the one hand, as the
detector travels further from the sun and the main
belt, the solar wing's power production capacity
reduces correspondingly. A wide range of multi-
working point adjustments must be possible for the
power of the ion electric propulsion system in order
to match the output power of the solar sail panel under
different distances of solar conditions. On the other
hand, the electric propulsion system must be able to
operate continuously for an extended period of time.
For example, the ion electric thruster of the "Dawn"
detector has been ignited in orbit for more than
30,000 hours; at the same time, considering the harsh
environmental conditions during the mission, the
electric propulsion is in hot Design, dust-proof design
and other aspects also need to be considered.
Therefore, the ion electric propulsion for asteroid
detection needs to be able to adjust at multiple
operating points within a wide power range and can
work autonomously and continuously for a long time.
Technical research and experimental verification
need to be carried out based on the specific needs and
constraints of the mission.
In the asteroid sampling return mission, the re-
entry speed of the returner will exceed the second
cosmic speed, reaching about 13 km/s; the re-entry
process will withstand a heat flow of up to about 12
MW/m
2
. According to the on-orbit data study of the
American Stardust and Origin returners, the turbulent
heat flow after return is several times higher than the
laminar heat flow (Ye et al., 2015). If the traditional
laminar flow thermal environment prediction method
is directly used to predict the re-entry thermal
environment of the returner, the heat protection
structure on the leeward side may be too weak, and
the structure may burn through under turbulent heat
conditions during re-entry. However, according to the
turbulent heat design. This will cause the structure to
be overweight. In view of the mission requirements
and constraints of high-speed re-entry and return of
asteroids, research and analysis on transition criteria
for ultra-high Reynolds number and ultra-high sonic
turbulence are required; research and development of
functionally graded anti-insulation materials and
high-strength materials that are resistant to high
enthalpy and high heat flux density Supersonic
parachute; carry out lightweight and refined system
design of returners.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Asteroid exploration "sees the big from the small",
the mission reflects the diversity and uniqueness,
focuses on exploring the origin and evolution of the
universe, material structure and other major basic and
cutting-edge scientific issues, and reflects the basic
engineering issues of public interest (resource
development and impact warning) , has become a hot
spot for deep space exploration. It is of significant
significance for opening new territories, revealing the
origin of life, promoting technological progress,
developing natural resources, and protecting the
security of the earth. It is one of the major practical
activities to promote the transformation from a space
power to a space power and implement the national
strategy of innovation-driven development. Asteroid
Analysis the Principle and the State-of-Art Scenarios for Asteroid Detection
319
detection will face more new technological
challenges and more cutting-edge and fundamental
issues. China used the "Chang'e 2" probe to seize the
opportunity and successfully realized the flyby
detection of the asteroid "Tutatis" and accumulated
certain engineering experience; the successful
implementation of the "Chang'e 5" flight tester" made
a breakthrough and has mastered the key technology
of high-speed re-entry and return; "Chang'e 5" will
break through in unmanned automatic lunar sampling
technology. These engineering achievements prove
that China has initially mastered multi-target
detection mission design, detector orbit
measurement, and high-reliability autonomous
control and management target acquisition and other
theories and technologies have laid a good foundation
for carrying out multi-target and multi-mission
detection of asteroids. Activities related to asteroid
exploration can serve as a solid foundation for both
regional and global space collaboration, and they are
a potent first step for China when it comes to pursuing
international space exploration cooperation. The
realization of scientific results and engineering
practices can greatly enhance China’s participation in
international space coordination and activities. The
implementation of asteroid exploration will drive the
coordinated development of China's space science
and detection technology, and play a role in
connecting the past and the future in the planetary
exploration development plan. Choosing the right
time to implement asteroid detection missions and
obtaining scientific results with originality and world
influence will further promote innovation and
breakthroughs in aerospace technology, space science
and other fields.
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