Apophis to Pass 32,000 Kilometers From Earth in 2029 as NASA and ESA Ready Missions
Updated
Updated · portalnews.co · Aug 17
Apophis to Pass 32,000 Kilometers From Earth in 2029 as NASA and ESA Ready Missions
3 articles · Updated · portalnews.co · Aug 17
Summary
April 13, 2029 will bring Apophis within about 32,000 kilometers of Earth—closer than many geostationary satellites—in a rare flyby with no impact risk.
NASA and ESA are treating the pass as a planetary-defense test bed, aiming to measure how Earth's gravity alters the asteroid's surface, rotation, structure and trajectory.
OSIRIS-APEX, repurposed from the OSIRIS-REx mission, is set to study Apophis for roughly 18 months after the encounter, while ESA is developing the Ramses mission and its Don Quixote CubeSat.
Apophis, discovered in 2004 and estimated at 340 to 375 meters wide, once raised impact concerns before improved observations ruled out a collision with Earth for at least the next 100 years.
ESA says the flyby could be visible to around 2 billion people across parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, underscoring its value as both a public spectacle and a scientific rehearsal.