NASA warns humanity is at risk of being wiped out by asteroid hurtling to Earth - even if we detect it

Mankind might be on the brink of an extinction-level event with a huge asteroid potentially on collision course with Earth, even with a 14-year heads-up.

Top brains at NASA and the US Government have raised alarms that we're not fully primed for asteroid-induced disasters , noting a lack of concrete disaster plans. The concern is that our response might not match the urgency shown in the 1998 hit movie 'Armageddon', where Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck's characters are part of a mission to destroy an asteroid threatening Earth.

This alarming insight was revealed in the aftermath of NASA and the US government's role-play exercise known as the 'Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise'.

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Held every two years, this drill saw NASA bigwigs pondering the response to a hypothetical asteroid with a 72% chance of striking Earth , despite a 14-year notice period, reports the Daily Star .

The details emerged in a report stating: "The process for making decisions about space missions in an asteroid threat scenario remains unclear." Adding to the unease, they emphasised: "The process has not been adequately defined in the US or internationally."

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Fortunately, no immediate space rocks pose a risk, but the simulation sheds light on just how unprepared we may be for any celestial surprises.

Discussing the planet's critical vulnerabilities, the report emphasised: "Decision-making processes and risk tolerance not understood. Limited readiness to quickly implement needed space missions. Timely global coordination of messaging needs attention. Asteroid-impact disaster management plans are not defined."

NASA 's Near-Earth Object Program states that on average, Earth is struck by an asteroid the size of a football pitch every 5,000 years and faces a civilisation-threatening asteroid once every million years.