"OSIRIS-APEX Mission Embarks on Solar Flyby En Route to Asteroid Exploration"

NASA's spacecraft, OSIRIS-APEX, previously known as OSIRIS-REx, successfully completed its first close solar flyby on its extended mission to asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft, which had previously collected samples from asteroid Bennu, is now undertaking a challenging journey that includes flying closer to the Sun than it was designed for and using innovative techniques to protect itself from the intense heat. This mission will help study asteroid Apophis before its close approach to Earth in 2029, an asteroid once considered a potential threat but now deemed safe for the next century.