Plans to Explore Asteroid Apophis | NASA's OSIRIS-APEX Mission

Plans to Explore Asteroid Apophis | NASA's OSIRIS-APEX Mission

OSIRIS-APEX is NASA’s mission to study the physical changes to asteroid Apophis that will result from its rare close encounter with Earth in April 2029. That year, Apophis’ orbit will bring it within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth’s surface—closer to Earth than our highest-altitude satellites. Our planet’s gravitational pull is expected to alter the asteroid’s orbit, change how fast it spins on its axis, and possibly cause quakes or landslides that will modify its surface. The OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will observe these changes as it passes by Earth within an hour of Apophis, on track for a rendezvous with the asteroid in mid-2029.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-apex/

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Dan Gallagher: Producer/Editor
Adriana Manrique Gutierrez: Lead Animator
Wes D. Buchanan: Lead Animator
Kel Elkins: Lead Data Visualizer
Jonathan North: Animator
Lisa Poje: Animator
Dan Gallagher: Animator
Rob Andreoli: Videographer
John D. Philyaw: Videographer
Michael Lentz: Art Director
Walt Feimer: Production Manager
Daniella DellaGiustina: Principal Investigator
Amy A. Simon: Project Scientist
Michael Moreau: Project Manager
Aaron E. Lepsch: Technical Support
Paul R. Straub: Technical Support
Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 23, 2026

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