{
  "id": 17766,
  "title": "Spacecraft will swarm asteroid Apophis during fateful 2029 Earth flyby",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/30/spacecraft-will-swarm-asteroid-apophis-during-fateful-2029-earth-flyby",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-07-30T12:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Scientific American",
    "slug": "scientific-american",
    "url": "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spacecraft-will-swarm-asteroid-apophis-during-fateful-2029-earth-flyby/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Space agencies from around the globe are coordinating missions to explore the asteroid Apophis as it makes a close approach to Earth in 2029. Initially thought to have a one-in-37 chance of impacting Earth in that year, more precise tracking has since ruled out any possibility of collision. However, Apophis' near-Earth flyby will still provide a valuable opportunity for scientists to study the asteroid up close.\n\nThree major missions are set to study Apophis: one from NASA, another from the European Space Agency (ESA), and a third from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The spacecraft DESTINY+ from JAXA, which was originally planned for a 2025 launch but delayed due to issues with its rocket, will fly by Apophis weeks before its close approach with Earth. It will observe the asteroid at a speed of 1.5 kilometers per second and its preliminary survey will help guide the next visitor, ESA's Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses).\n\nESA's Ramses will share a ride to space with DESTINY+ in the same H3 rocket, thanks to a cooperation agreement between JAXA and ESA. As a near-replica of ESA's previous asteroid-exploring spacecraft Hera, Ramses will be equipped with various cameras, spectrometers, and other instruments to gather detailed data about Apophis. It will fly as close as 1 km to the asteroid, making it the closest approach of any mission to date.\n\nIn addition to Ramses, the mission will include two small CubeSats: Don Quijote and Farinella. Built in Spain, Don Quijote will be deployed a few days before closest approach and will land on Apophis to study the asteroid's internal structure using a seismometer. Farinella, also a CubeSat, will operate around the asteroid and use low-frequency radar to gather more information about its internal structure.\n\nIf successful, a small student-led mission from China's Tsinghua University called START will also attempt to intercept and fly by Apophis. Passing within about 7 km of the asteroid at a relative speed of around 8.7 km per second, START will use imagers to capture changes to the asteroid's surface as it passes by Earth. This mission has been approved by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and will utilize a free ride on a Landspace vehicle.",
  "summary": "Space agencies around the globe are coordinating missions to visit the asteroid Apophis during a close encounter with Earth in 2029",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}