An asteroid that's expected to brush past Earth in 2029, and is so threatening it's named after an ancient Egyptian demon, is the target of NASA's latest mission.
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The agency has sent its OSIRIS spacecraft, which recently completed a mission in deep space, on a new adventure to Apophis, a 1,000-foot-wide asteroid also known as "God of Chaos."
Apophis is expected to pass within 20,000 miles of Earth in April of 2029, at which point OSIRIS will visit the asteroid to study any changes made by its earthly encounter.
Apophis, an "S-type" asteroid made of silicate materials and nickel-iron, is expected to make an exceptionally close approach of our planet on April 13, 2029 -- the likes of which hasn't happened since the dawn of recorded history, according to NASA.
Although Apophis will not hit Earth during this encounter or in the foreseeable future, NASA said the pass in 2029 will bring the asteroid within 20,000 miles of the surface – closer than some satellites, and close enough that it could be visible to the naked eye in the Eastern Hemisphere.
"OSIRIS-APEX will study Apophis immediately after such a pass, allowing us to see how its surface changes by interacting with Earth's gravity," Amy Simon, the mission's project scientist, said in a statement.
Scientists estimate that asteroids of Apophis' size, about 367 yards across, come this close to Earth only once every 7,500 years.
NASA said the close encounter with Earth will change the asteroid's orbit and also may cause quakes and landslides on the asteroid's surface that could churn up material and uncover what lies beneath.
"The close approach is a great natural experiment," said Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina, principal investigator for OSIRIS-APEX. "We know that tidal forces and the accumulation of rubble pile material are foundational processes that could play a role in planet formation. They could inform how we got from debris in the early solar system to full-blown planets."
OSIRIS will arrive at the asteroid on April 13, 2029, and operate in its proximity for about 18 months. In addition to studying changes to Apophis caused by its Earth encounter, the spacecraft will conduct investigations using imagers, spectrometers and a laser altimeter to closely map the surface and analyze its chemical makeup. It will also dip within 16 feet of the asteroid's surface and fire its thrusters downward, stirring up surface rocks and dust to give scientists a peek at the material that lies below.
In September, OSIRIS successfully completed its first mission, a seven-year, 4 billion-mile journey to bring Earth a sample of asteroid Bennu.
"When OSIRIS-REx left Bennu in May 2021 with a sample aboard, its instruments were in great condition, and it still had a quarter of its fuel left. So instead of shutting down the spacecraft after it delivered the sample, the team proposed to dispatch it on a bonus mission to asteroid Apophis," NASA said.
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