Rashi Mehta
The European Space Agency has declared a mission to investigate the Apophis asteroid. In 2029, Apophis will approach Earth within 32,000 km, presenting a unique chance for space agencies to study an asteroid up close.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a mission to investigate the Apophis asteroid during its close approach to Earth in 2029. This asteroid, once a concern for potential collision with Earth, will pass within 32,000 km, providing a rare opportunity for detailed study by space agencies.
ESA’s decision marks the second major space mission dedicated to Apophis, following NASA’s initiative. ESA noted that such large asteroids typically approach Earth at such proximity only once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.
What the ESA said
ESA stated last week that its Space Safety programme has been authorized to begin preparatory work for the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). The Ramses spacecraft aims to rendezvous with the asteroid, approximately 375 meters wide, before its closest approach to Earth, and will continue to track its trajectory for a period thereafter.
This mission is akin to NASA’s planned OSIRIS-REx follow-up mission, OSIRIS-APEX. Further missions from other space agencies are anticipated to join these efforts in studying Apophis.
“Using a suite of scientific instruments, the spacecraft will conduct a thorough before-and-after survey of the asteroid’s shape, surface, orbit, rotation and orientation. By analysing how Apophis changes during the flyby, scientists will learn a lot about the response of an asteroid to external forces as well as asteroid composition, interior structure, cohesion, mass, density, and porosity.” the ESA said.
“These are all very important properties for assessing how best to knock a hazardous asteroid off a collision course with Earth. As asteroids are also time capsules formed over four billion years ago, data from Ramses will also offer new scientific insights into the formation and evolution of Solar System,” the ESA statement added.
“Exploring Asteroids: knowing the Secrets of Space Rocks”
Asteroids, rocky remnants from the early Solar System, have historically received little attention in space missions. However, this is changing. Each day, hundreds to thousands of asteroids enter Earth’s atmosphere, mostly burning up due to air friction before reaching the surface. Occasionally, small fragments survive and reach the ground without causing significant damage.
In 2022, NASA demonstrated the capability to alter an asteroid’s trajectory with the DART mission. This spacecraft intentionally collided with a distant asteroid, successfully diverting it from its path. While the targeted asteroid posed no threat to Earth, the mission validated the feasibility of such a maneuver in more realistic scenarios.
The ESA also said that its researchers would study the asteroid as Earth’s gravity alters its physical characteristics. “Their findings will improve our ability to defend our planet from any similar object found to be on a collision course in the future,” the statement added.
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