China has started hiring personnel for a planetary defense force to tackle a huge asteroid heading toward the Earth. The recruitment drive is being conducted by the country’s Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) to bring onboard people, mostly young graduates who can find ways to detect, watch, and possibly deflect the asteroids.

Described as a “country killer,” suggesting a single strike could cause massive devastation, the asteroid could possibly hit Earth in 2032, seven years from now. NASA, along with the European Space Agency, has put the asteroid 2024 YR4 at the top of their threat list, with the odds of it hitting the Earth found at 1 in 43, stated a Wales Online report.

The asteroid was initially spotted by the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Astronomy in December last year, following which the James Webb Space Telescope has been watching over it to understand its composition, speed, and trajectory. Also, the UN’s Space Mission Planning Advisory Group, or SMPAG’s member nations, including China, have been holding regular meetings to discuss a response, The Guardian reports.

In this regard, recruitment has commenced for various “planetary defense posts.” Earlier this week, the job ads were posted to WeChat, listing 16 vacant positions at SASTIND, including three for the force. Applications have been invited from recent graduates under the age of 35, holding professional and technical qualifications and a “firm political stance” that would support the Chinese Communist Party and align ideology with its leader, Xi Jinping.

While SASTIND is yet to officially comment on whether the recruitment has been specifically prompted by the asteroid’s discovery, Li Mingtao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Science’s National Space Science Centre, spoke to China Science Daily, explaining the plan. Stating that a strong equipment configuration and performance are important alongside a team of dedicated talent, he added that China has made a plan to hit the asteroid with a spacecraft to alter its path.

“By the end of the observation in April, we will have more data, and when the new observation window arrives in 2028, we will be able to judge the probability of it hitting the Earth more clearly. At that time, the United Nations will organise another discussion to decide whether to design a defense plan,” Li continued.