There is currently no technology on Earth that could stop a massive asteroid from wiping out Europe, according to a simulations carried out by leading space agencies. The week-long exercise led by Nasa concluded that catastrophe would be unavoidable, even given six months to prepare. The hypothetical impact scenario, which took place during a planetary defence conference hosted by the United Nations, proved that governments are woefully unprepared for this kind of disaster. The only response to such an event would be to evacuate the area before the asteroid hit, however the impact zone was across large parts of North Africa and Europe. Nasa is already working on asteroid deflection technology and is planning a launch its first test mission of its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) system in late 2021 before reaching the asteroid Dimorphos in autumn 2022.
