NASA scientists have warned that the Earth is currently unable to defend itself against thousands of ‘city-destroying’ asteroids hurtling through space.

They estimate that there are about 15,000 medium-sized space rocks that are within striking distance of Earth but have not yet been detected.

The 2022 DART mission proved that we can use rockets to deflect an asteroid in an emergency. However, the head of the mission has said that if such a threat arises again, we are not currently prepared for it.

“We are concerned about these city-destroying asteroids,” said Dr. Nancy (who is affiliated with Johns Hopkins University), the head of the DART mission. DART was a great demonstration, but if a real threat arises, we do not have a ready-made system that can be used immediately.

He said that we do not know the location of about 50% of the satellites with a diameter of 140 meters, which is a cause for concern. At the moment we do not have any active system through which we can divert an asteroid. We can be ready, but they do not see the necessary investment for it.

He warned that space agencies do not have enough resources to keep the defense system on high alert constantly.