Although the craft, called Hidalgo, would be only the size of a domestic cooker, the force of its high-speed impact should be enough to deflect an asteroid far enough off course to pass harmlessly by.

The craft is being designed by scientists at Qinetiq, formerly the government’s defence research agency, as part of a project by the European Space Agency (ESA). The team, which has won a £315,000 grant for its preliminary designs, hopes to send the ram on a test mission against a harmless asteroid within 10 years.

Called the Don Quijote mission, it will cost about £200m and will be funded by the ESA. Designs from Qinetiq and two rival European teams will be assessed by the ESA before a winner is announced early next year.

While the chance of an asteroid hitting the planet is remote, research into the risks was given impetus by an incident in 1994 when a comet punched a hole the size of Earth into Jupiter.

“This mission will be a bit like a game of solar system billiards,” said Nigel Wells, project manager for the Qinetiq team.

The test launch is scheduled for 2011 when the mission will target two asteroids flying into the zone between Earth and Mars, 43m miles away. Although their trajectory poses no threat to Earth, scientists want to see if Hidalgo can nudge one of them off course.

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