Deep-Buried Nuclear Option Could Triple Asteroid Deflection, Simulations Find

A Chinese team’s computer simulations propose a two-step nuclear method: first a penetrator digs a hole in an asteroid, then a second craft places a 3-megaton bomb about 30 metres underground to detonate beneath the surface. The study finds this buried approach could more than triple the asteroid’s deflection compared with surface explosions, though it remains purely theoretical and faces legal, safety, and feasibility caveats. In practice, safer options like kinetic deflection are preferred, and nuclear interception would only be considered in dire, late-stage scenarios if ever tested in reality.