Sandia Speeds Up Asteroid Deflection Modeling

Researchers combined two simulation codes to model nuclear asteroid deflection more than 1,600 times faster than earlier methods.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Nuclear

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of an irregular asteroid split diagonally by warm ochre and slate-blue plumes against a navy field, evoking faster modeling of asteroid deflection. — Sandia National Laboratories researchers combined two simulation codes to model nuclear asteroid deflection more than 1,600 times faster than earlier methods. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Sandia National Laboratories researchers developed a faster method for modeling how nuclear blasts could deflect asteroids. The combined approach pairs the ALEGRA and SPARTA simulation codes and runs more than 1,600 times faster than earlier methods.

Why it matters

Earlier calculations were so time-consuming that few scenarios could be explored, and asteroids were often modeled as simple spheres. Faster modeling allows a wider range of asteroid shapes and orientations to be tested in planetary defense planning.

The simulations show that Golevka, Bennu and Itokawa can experience up to a fivefold difference in velocity change depending on which side is irradiated, with Bennu alone showing nearly twofold differences. The source does not state whether these results have been checked against physical experiments.

The players

Sandia National Laboratories

A federally funded research and development center in New Mexico that conducts national security and advanced engineering research.

The details

Researchers combined the ALEGRA code, which handles high-density gas regions, with the SPARTA code, which handles dilute regions, so each is applied where it works most efficiently. Simulations showed that asteroid shape and orientation substantially change how a nuclear blast alters an asteroid's path.

- The Sandia asteroid deflection modeling article was published November 3, 2026.

The Big Picture

The work extends Sandia's existing ALEGRA simulation program by adding SPARTA to capture dilute gas behavior that earlier asteroid models simplified away. Earlier studies had treated asteroids as spheres, so the new approach moves planetary defense modeling toward realistic irregular shapes.

Better asteroid deflection modeling could eventually inform how planetary defense strategies are designed and tested. The practical impact on everyday life remains distant, as the work is computational and has not yet been tied to a deployed system.

The takeaway

Modeling that accounts for irregular asteroid shapes and orientations gives planetary defense planners a more realistic picture of how deflection could succeed or fail.