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Russia’s space agency might dispatch a spacecraft to knock a large asteriod off its path and stop collision with Earth.

Anatoly Perminov, head of the country’s space agency, said that they might invite NASA, the European Space Agency, and other agencies to join the project.

The 270-meter asteroid was first discovered in 2004. Its chances of collision with Earth in its first flyby was estimated to be in 2029.

Initial observations of Apophis indicated a small probability that it would strike Earth in 2029.

But Perminov is convinced that the asteriod is a potential menace. He said that he heard from a scientist that Apophis is getting closer and may hit the planet.

“I don’t remember exactly, but it seems to me it could hit the Earth by 2032,” Perminov said.

“People’s lives are at stake. We should pay several hundred million dollars and build a system that would allow us to prevent a collision, rather than sit and wait for it to happen and kill hundreds of thousands of people,” he added.

Scientists have formulated strategies of knocking away the asteroid. Some suggested sending a spacecraft to collide with the asteroid. Some proposed sending a probe to circle around a dangerous asteroid to change its trajectory.

Perminov would not disclose any details of the project. He said they still need to be worked out. But he added that the mission would not require any nuclear explosions.