Simulation Shows That Nuking Earth-Bound Asteroids Might Be Safe
•February 15, 2026
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Why It Matters
If nuclear deflection can preserve an asteroid’s integrity, it becomes a viable, low‑risk option for planetary defense, potentially averting catastrophic impacts.
Key Takeaways
- •Oxford-OuSoCo study used HiRadMat accelerator
- •Iron meteorite sample softened, flexed, then restrengthened
- •Material strength increased 2.5× after irradiation
- •Findings suggest asteroids may retain integrity after nukes
- •Further tests needed on diverse asteroid compositions
Pulse Analysis
Nuclear deflection has long been a controversial pillar of planetary defense, primarily because scientists fear that detonating a bomb on an incoming rock could shatter it into a rain of hazardous fragments. Traditional kinetic impactors and gravity tractors avoid this risk but often lack the rapid response needed for short‑notice threats. Recent advances in high‑energy physics, however, are reshaping the debate by providing empirical data on how space rocks behave under extreme stress, offering policymakers a more nuanced risk assessment.
In a collaborative effort, Oxford’s materials team partnered with the Outer Solar System Company to fire a beam of protons at a slice of the Campo del Cielo iron meteorite inside CERN’s HiRadMat facility. The experiment reproduced the thermal and shock conditions of a nuclear detonation, revealing an unexpected sequence: the sample initially softened, then flexed, and finally exhibited a 2.5‑fold increase in tensile strength. This restrengthening suggests that the microstructure of iron‑rich asteroids can absorb and redistribute energy, reducing the likelihood of catastrophic fragmentation. Such behavior challenges earlier models that assumed brittle disintegration under nuclear loads.
The implications extend beyond academic curiosity. If a subset of near‑Earth objects can retain structural cohesion after a nuclear pulse, space agencies and private firms could develop rapid‑deployment warhead systems as a last‑ditch safeguard. Yet the study’s focus on a single iron meteorite underscores the need for broader testing across carbonaceous, stony, and rubble‑pile compositions. Future research will inform international guidelines, influence funding for deflection startups, and potentially integrate nuclear options into NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office and ESA’s Space Safety Programme. Confidence in the approach will hinge on a diversified experimental portfolio that mirrors the asteroid population’s diversity.
Simulation Shows That Nuking Earth-Bound Asteroids Might Be Safe
A group of researchers is now arguing that Earth-bound asteroids can be deflected using a nuclear weapon. However, given the nature of asteroids, these researchers may not expect such a life-saving effort to be executed as we might expect.
Understanding How Asteroids React To Stress Plays A Crucial Role In Efforts To Nuke An Earth-bound Asteroid
A team of researchers from the University of Oxford partnered with a nuclear deflection startup called the Outer Solar System Company (OuSoCo) to learn more about asteroids. Of particular interest to this partnership was to analyse how asteroids react under different levels of stress.
Understanding this will help the researchers better picture how an asteroid will fare when hit by a nuclear weapon. Melanie Bochmann, co-founder of OuSoCo and co-leader of the research team, says, “These analyses are intended to examine changes in the meteorite’s internal structure caused by the irradiation and to confirm, at a microscopic level, the increase in material strength by a factor of 2.5 indicated by the experimental results.”
To conduct this research, a sample from the Campo del Cielo iron meteorite was blasted with rays from the Super Proton Synchrotron particle accelerator at CEN’s High Radiation to Materials (HiRadMat) facility. By doing this, the researchers were able to simulate what would happen if an Earth-bound asteroid were to be nuked.
The result of this test was that after being exposed to the rays, the Campo del Cielo iron meteorite sample softened, flexed and then restrengthened. This shows that space rocks are able to withstand much more stress than they were previously believed to be able to withstand.
What Does This Research Mean For Planetary Defence?
The main fear with nuking an asteroid is that it disintegrates into smaller fragments that might still cause damage here on Earth. However, this research proves that an Earth-bound asteroid might be able to hold its shape and not disintegrate after being struck by a nuclear weapon.
Instead of being destroyed by the impact of the nuclear weapon, the Earth-bound asteroid might be redirected away from our home planet. At this time, it is important to conduct more research on other types of asteroids to see if they will behave the same way the Campo del Cielo iron meteorite sample behaved in this research.
Further research will provide more data on which scientists can lay a foundation for planetary defence measures in the event of a life-threatening Earth-bound asteroid. The result of similar research on other types of asteroid compositions might become available in the near future.
The post Simulation Shows That Nuking Earth-Bound Asteroids Might Be Safe appeared first on Orbital Today.
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