arXiv · 2509.12362
Catastrophic disruption of asteroid 2023 CX1 and implications for planetary defense
Abstract
Mitigation of the threat from airbursting asteroids requires an understanding of the potential risk they pose for the ground. How asteroids release their kinetic energy in the atmosphere is not well understood due to the rarity of significant impacts. Ordinary chondrites, in particular L chondrites, represent a frequent type of Earth-impacting asteroids. Here, we present the first comprehensive, space-to-lab characterization of an L chondrite impact. Small asteroid 2023 CX1 was detected in space and predicted to impact over Normandy, France, on 13 February 2023. Observations from multiple independent sensors and reduction techniques revealed an unusual but potentially high-risk fragmentation behavior. The nearly spherical 650 $\pm$ 160 kg (72 $\pm$ 6 cm diameter) asteroid catastrophically fragmented around 28 km altitude, releasing 98% of its total energy in a concentrated region of the atmosphere. The resulting shockwave was spherical, not cylindrical, and released more energy closer to the ground. This type of fragmentation increases the risk of significant damage at ground level. These results warrant consideration for a planetary defense strategy for cases where a >3-4 MPa dynamic pressure is expected, including planning for evacuation of areas beneath anticipated disruption locations.
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Auriane Egal, Denis Vida, François Colas, Brigitte Zanda, Sylvain Bouley, Asma Steinhausser, Pierre Vernazza, Ludovic Ferrière, Jérôme Gattacceca, Mirel Birlan, Jérémie Vaubaillon, Karl Antier, Simon Anghel, Josselin Desmars, Kévin Baillié, Lucie Maquet, Sébastien Bouquillon, Adrien Malgoyre, Simon Jeanne, Jiři Borovička, Pavel Spurný, Hadrien A. R. Devillepoix, Marco Micheli, Davide Farnocchia, Shantanu Naidu, Peter Brown, Paul Wiegert, Krisztián Sárneczky, András Pál, Nick Moskovitz, Theodore Kareta, Toni Santana-Ros, Alexis Le Pichon, Gilles Mazet-Roux, Julien Vergoz, Luke McFadden, Jelle Assink, Läslo Evers, Daniela Krietsch, Henner Busemann, Colin Maden, Lisa Maria Eckart, Jean-Alix Barrat, Pavel Povinec, Ivan Sykora, Ivan Kontul', Oscar Marchhart, Martin Martschini, Silke Merchel, Alexander Wieser, Matthieu Gounelle, Sylvain Pont, Pierre Sans-Jofre, Sebastiaan de Vet, Ioannis Baziotis, Miroslav Brož, Michaël Marsset, Jérôme Vergne, Josef Hanuš, Maxime Devogèle, Luca Conversi, Francisco Ocaña, Luca Buzzi, Dan Alin Nedelcu, Adrian Sonka, Florent Losse, Philippe Dupouy, Korado Korlević, Dieter Husar, Jost Jahn, Damir Šegon, Mark McIntyre, Ralf Neubert, Pierre Beck, Patrick Shober, Anthony Lagain, Josep Maria Trigo-Rodriguez, Enrique Herrero, Jim Rowe, Andrew R. D. Smedley, Ashley King, Salma Sylla, Daniele Gardiol, Dario Barghini, Hervé Lamy, Emmanuel Jehin, Detlef Koschny, Bjorn Poppe, Andrés Jordán, Rene A. Mendez, Katherine Vieira, Hebe Cremades, Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane, Zouhair Benkhaldoun, Olivier Hernandez, Darrel Robertson, Peter Jenniskens. 2025-09-15. Catastrophic disruption of asteroid 2023 CX1 and implications for planetary defense. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02659-8
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