The Apophis asteroid, also called the “God of Chaos,” is expected to fly by Earth in April of 2029. But it is also projected to come closer than any asteroid in recorded history which has caused NASA to launch a mission studying the asteroid.
According to NASA, Apophis is expected to come as close as 20,000 miles to Earth on April 13, 2029. It noted this is “closer than some satellites, and close enough that it could be visible to the naked eye in the Eastern Hemisphere.”
It is approximately 367 yards, and coming so close to Earth it may change the astroid’s surface, potentially causing landslides and quakes.
The newly named OSIRUS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer) mission will utilize the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer) spacecraft.
OSIRUS-REx finished a 4-billion-mile mission to collect samples of asteroid Bennu in September.
With asteroid Apophis making its way toward Earth, NASA decided to utilize OSIRUS-REx for this new mission due to the spacecraft’s good condition and the opportunity presented by the close encounter.
Amy Simon, the mission’s project scientist based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, stated, “OSIRIS-APEX will study Apophis immediately after such a pass, allowing us to see how its surface changes by interacting with Earth’s gravity.”
Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-APEX at the University of Arizona in Tucson, also noted, “The close approach is a great natural experiment.”
“We know that tidal forces and the accumulation of rubble pile material are foundational processes that could play a role in planet formation. They could inform how we got from debris in the early solar system to full-blown planets,” she added.
OSIRIS-APEX’s research will also involve planetary defense strategies to aid scientists in working toward effective methods of combating or preventing catastrophic asteroid collisions with Earth.