Asteroid Apophis to brush Earth in 2029, ESA plans mission
Although we can still see comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the sky, astronomers are already preparing for another extraordinary cosmic spectacle. On April 13, 2029, the asteroid Apophis will pass very close to Earth and be visible to the naked eye.
Asteroid Apophis, named after the demon of darkness and chaos from Egyptian mythology, has sparked considerable interest from the beginning. As "Gazeta Wyborcza" reminds us, the object was discovered in 2004, and initial calculations indicated it was on a collision course with Earth. It was then given a 4 on the 11-point Torino scale, the highest level until now.
It quickly became apparent that the actual flight trajectory rules out a collision with our planet, although the object measuring 326 metres in length still arouses a lot of emotions. According to "Wyborcza," Apophis will pass our planet at a distance of only 32,000 kilometres. Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) point out that during the flyby, the object will "feel significant tidal forces exerted by Earth’s gravity".
Scientists would like to take advantage of such a close flyby and gather as much information as possible, which could be used in the future if any object is on a collision course with our planet. The information gathered that way may turn out to be our last resort.
ESA has allocated 67 million dollars to the company OHB Italia, whose task will be to prepare the mission objectives for the Ramses space mission. "Gazeta Wyborcza" emphasizes that the space probe towards Apophis must be launched in 2028 to reach the asteroid in time and accompany it during its flyby.
Ramses in preparation, Hera in action
In early October of this year, a Falcon 9 rocket launched a remarkable probe into space. This is all part of the Hera mission organized by ESA. The probe's task is to examine the effects of the first planetary defence test for Earth.
The mentioned test began in September 2022. It was then that the DART probe hit the asteroid Dimorphos, a 160-metre satellite of the asteroid Didymos. NASA scientists wanted to see how the impact could change the course of a cosmic object. DART altered the object's trajectory, although scientists do not have precise data. This situation is expected to change with the Hera probe and the cubic nanosatellites Milani and Juventas sent with it.
