Fresh from its historic mission to collect samples from an asteroid in deep space, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is embarking on a new task: studying another asteroid during its close encounter with Earth.
Completing its seven-year, 4 billion-mile round-trip journey to gather samples from the space rock Bennu in September, the team behind OSIRIS-REx proposed extending its mission to study the asteroid Apophis.
Apophis is anticipated to pass closer to Earth in 2029 than any other asteroid of similar size in recorded history.
Rebranded as OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer), the spacecraft will investigate the more than 1,000-foot-wide Apophis, named after an Egyptian deity and dubbed the “God of Chaos.”
This asteroid, discovered in 2004, is projected to approach within 20,000 miles of Earth’s surface — closer than some satellites — on April 13, 2029, Fox News reported.
According to scientific estimates, asteroids of this size come this close to Earth only once every 7,500 years.
While initial predictions indicated a 3% chance of a collision with Earth, subsequent assessments over the years ruled out any impact in 2029 or during Apophis’ return in 2036.
The close encounter is expected to alter Apophis’ orbit and the duration of its day (normally 30.6 hours).
Additionally, it might induce seismic activity and landslides on Apophis, potentially revealing material beneath the asteroid’s surface.
Written by B.C. Begley
*The following content has been automatically generated by an AI system and should be used for informational purposes only. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk. We recommend seeking qualified expertise or conducting further research to validate and supplement the information provided.
B.C. Begley 