An asteroid portrayed to be passing in front of the blue-green Earth and the moon.
An asteroid passes by Earth in this ESA illustration. Credit: ESA/P. Carril

HELSINKI — China has selected near-Earth object 2019 VL5 for a combined asteroid deflection and observation test to launch 2025.

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Andrew Jones writes about China's space industry, including civilian programs, space science and exploration, policy, and commercial developments for SpaceNews, and writes the China Report newsletter. He has additional bylines in Scientific American,...