NASA considers nuclear mission to stop asteroid from colliding with the Moon in 2032

NASA is weighing a nuclear mission to prevent a 300-foot asteroid from colliding with the Moon in December 2032.

NASA is evaluating a bold plan to use nuclear weapons against an asteroid that could strike the Moon in 2032.

The asteroid, known as 2024 YR4, measures about 300 feet in length and briefly caused alarm earlier this year when it topped NASA’s Sentry Impact Risk Table with a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth.

While updated calculations reduced the possibility of an Earth collision to nearly zero, scientists warn that the asteroid still carries a small risk of impacting the Moon on December 22, 2032. A lunar impact could generate more than 100 million kilograms of debris, potentially threatening satellites orbiting Earth for years.

To prevent this scenario, NASA scientists are considering several mission options. These include a reconnaissance flyby, a deflection attempt, or what they call the “nuclear option.” The nuclear proposal involves detonating up to two 100-kiloton devices—several times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first device would aim to disrupt or redirect the asteroid, with a second bomb held in reserve as a backup.

According to NASA, designing and launching such a mission could take between five and seven years. The optimal launch window would fall between late 2029 and late 2031, leaving limited time to prepare.

Experts suggest that beyond protecting satellites and space infrastructure, the mission could serve as a critical test case for planetary defense. Successfully intercepting 2024 YR4 could provide a model for how humanity might respond to larger, more dangerous asteroids in the future.

For now, the “city killer” asteroid remains under observation, but NASA’s consideration of nuclear intervention highlights the growing urgency of space defense planning.