China hiring for ‘planetary defence force’ amid concerns of asteroid hitting Earth: Report

China is conducting the recruitment drive possibly to tackle 2024 YR4, an asteroid which could hit Earth in 2032.

China has opened applications to recruit for a ‘planetary defence force,’ following risk assessments which determined that an asteroid could conceivably hit Earth in 2032.

This handout picture provided by NASA on January 31, 2025 shows asteroid 2024 YR4 as observed by the Magdalena Ridge 2.4m telescope at the New Mexico Institute of Technology on January 27, 2025. (AFP)

To this end, China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) has invited applications from ‘young loyal graduates,' The Guardian reported.

HT cannot independently verify this information.

Who all are ‘eligible’?

According to the ads posted on popular Chinese instant messaging app WeChat, there are 16 vacancies at SASTIND, including three for the new planetary defence force.

Applicants should be recent graduates (masters or higher), with majors in astrophysics, earth and space exploration technology, and aerospace science and technology.

Also, the candidates should be below 35 years of age. Additionally, they should have a ‘firm political stance’ supporting the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and an ideology ‘aligned’ with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who leads the CCP.

The ‘job description’

The ads describe the planetary defence force jobs as a ‘research on monitoring and early warning of near-Earth asteroids.’

There is also likely to be a 'key focus' on international cooperation, as well as on designing systems for new and experimental technology, the ads suggest.

Which asteroid is it?

While there is no mention of the asteroid, the recruitment drive comes amid increasing focus on 2024 YR4, an asteroid which has a low – but rising – likelihood of hitting the Earth in 2032.

Last week, analysts increased their probability assessment of a collision between 2024 YR4 and Earth from 1.3% to 2.2%.

The UN’s Space Mission Planning Advisory Group, which has countries with space programmes (including China), have been meeting regularly to discuss a response.