The European Space Agency has begun work on a planetary defense mission that will intercept an asteroid predicted to come within 32,000 km of Earth in 2029.
Hera: Our planetary defense mission
The Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES) is targeting asteroid 99942, aka Apophis, which is about 375 meters wide – the length of 30 giant octopuses – and is expected to pass closer to Earth than some geosynchronous satellites.
"Astronomers have ruled out any chance that the asteroid will collide with our planet for at least the next 100 years," explained the ESA, which added that another rock of this size would not typically come this close for another 5,000 to 10,000 years.
This flyby is therefore an opportunity to observe Apophis in the hope that it will help humanity learn how to deflect future visitors of this kind.
