NASA's OSIRIS-APEX Mission Targets 'God of Chaos' Asteroid in Crucial Flyby

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, after successfully collecting a sample from asteroid Bennu, has been repurposed and renamed OSIRIS-APEX for a new mission to study asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft will take advantage of Apophis' close flyby of Earth in 2029, which will bring the asteroid within 20,000 miles of our planet, closer than some satellites. This event provides a unique opportunity to observe the effects of Earth's gravity on the asteroid and to gather data that could inform planetary defense strategies. OSIRIS-APEX will conduct detailed surface mapping and chemical analysis, similar to its previous mission, and will perform a maneuver to stir up surface material for study. The mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center with international partnerships and is part of NASA's New Frontiers Program.