A mission to launch a European spacecraft that will rendezvous with a 375-meter-wide asteroid that is scheduled to whisk by Earth in 2029 has taken a step closer to being realized.
On July 16, 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that preparatory work for its next planetary defense mission can progress after receiving permission from the Space Safety program board.
The Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) will see a spacecraft meet with asteroid Apophis and accompany it through its safe but exceptionally close flyby of Earth in 2029.
During the mission, scientists will observe how the asteroid Apophis is “warped and changed by our planet’s gravity” which will help prepare Earth for the possibility if a hazardous asteroid is ever on a collision course with the planet.
“There is still so much we have yet to learn about asteroids but, until now, we have had to travel deep into the Solar System to study them and perform experiments ourselves to interact with their surface,” said Patrick Michel, Director of Research at French National Centre for Scientific Research in Nice.
‘For the first time ever, nature is bringing one to us’
He added: “For the first time ever, nature is bringing one to us and conducting the experiment itself. All we need to do…
Source www.aerotime.aero
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