NASA Osiris-Apex Mission Set for Apophis Encounter

Initial preparations for a mission to investigate the massive asteroid Apophis, also known as asteroid (99942), have been initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA). In February 2029, the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES) is scheduled to arrive at Apophis. During the same near approach, NASA is also getting ready for its Osiris-Apex mission, which will investigate Apophis.

Apophis: A Threat to Earth

• At 340 meters in diameter, Apophis, discovered in 2004, could inflict significant devastation on a collision course with Earth.
• Expected to safely pass on April 13, 2029, some 19,794 miles from Earth
• Asteroids are remnant blocks from the building of the Solar System; approximately 2,300 are deemed “potentially hazardous.”
• Earth has been hit by big asteroids before, resulting in major extinction events.
• Astronomers survey the sky with telescopes to track down hazardous asteroids.
• The Ramses and Osiris-Apex missions will study changes in Apophis’s orbit, rotation, and shape as it passes close by Earth.
• These missions can assist in devising ways to redirect asteroids that might otherwise one day threaten Earth.
• The names Ramses and Osiris-Apex stem from Egyptian mythology, symbolizing humanity’s reach to “conquer” a space object that poses a threat.