Source: CNN

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Context

• On April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass within 32,000 kilometers of Earth, closer than many satellites in orbit and ten times nearer than the moon.
• This event provides a rare opportunity for scientific observation, as such close encounters with large asteroids occur once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.

Details

Apophis Asteroid

• Size and Characteristics: Apophis is an S-type, or stony, asteroid approximately 375 meters in diameter, similar in size to a cruise liner.
• It is shaped like a peanut and composed of silicate materials and nickel-iron​​.
• First discovered in 2004, Apophis is named for the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness and believed to be shaped like a peanut.
• Initially, astronomers were concerned that the space rock might impact Earth in 2029 and 2068, but subsequent observations have ruled out any risk of Apophis posing a threat to the Earth for the next century, according to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.
• Apophis is of interest because it’s an S-type, or stony, asteroid — different from other space rocks visited by NASA missions, including Bennu, which is a C-type, or carbonaceous, asteroid.
• C-type asteroids are made of clay and silicate rocks, while S-types are composed of silicate materials and nickel-iron.
• Stony asteroids are part of the most common class of potentially hazardous asteroids that pose a threat to our planet.

RAMSES Mission

• The Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES), led by the European Space Agency (ESA), is a mission designed to study the near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis.
• Objective: The Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES) aims to study Apophis during its close approach to Earth. The mission will focus on observing the asteroid's behavior and characteristics before, during, and after the flyby to understand the effects of Earth's gravitational forces on Apophis​​ .
• Launch and Timeline: RAMSES is scheduled to launch in April 2028 and will rendezvous with Apophis in February 2029. The mission's preparatory work has already begun, with a final commitment decision expected at ESA’s Ministerial Council meeting in November 2025 .
• Scientific Goals: The mission will use a suite of instruments to measure the asteroid's shape, surface, orientation, orbit, composition, mass, density, porosity, and interior structure. These observations will provide insights into asteroid behavior, aiding planetary defense strategies​.

Collaboration and Future Missions:

• NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX: NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, renamed OSIRIS-APEX, will also study Apophis, arriving one month after the close approach. The mission will complement RAMSES by providing additional data and observations.
• Planetary Defense: The collaboration between ESA and NASA exemplifies international efforts in planetary defense. Previous missions, such as NASA’s DART and ESA’s Hera, have demonstrated successful asteroid deflection techniques, providing a foundation for future missions like RAMSES .

DART, HEA, OSIRIS-APEX

Sources:

CNN

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