Apophis asteroid's 2029 flyby could birth new spacecraft concepts for Earth's defense

The 99942 Apophis, which was discovered in 2004, gained notoriety as an asteroid that could pose a serious threat to Earth. But follow-up observations conducted by astronomers in the last few years changed the assessment as NASA revealed last year that there is no risk of an impact for at least 100 years. However, the asteroid will surely make a close flyby on April 13, 2029, and scientists are aiming for a few technology demonstrations with the intent to develop a defense system for Earth. 

Notably, NASA already has made plans to study the asteroid as it will re-direct its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft toward Apophis after it drops samples collected from the Bennu asteroid to Earth in 2023. On the sidelines, the Houston-based Lunar and Planetary Institute, during a conference held earlier this week proposed a new spacecraft concept.

Testing rapid-action spacecraft against an approaching asteroid

(Asteroid Apophis captured by radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex in California in March; Image: NASA)

A report by Space.com revealed that the Institute aims to test an emergency launch scenario during Apophis asteroid's flyby. During the scenario, the experts might test a laser-driven light sail, which would eventually be used for the exploration of interstellar space. During the conference, Paul Blase of small satellite startup Space Initiatives Inc. revealed a mission concept of launching a couple of 3D-printed probes.

Each of these probes, which would be equipped with cameras and spectrometers, will be launched toward the Apophis asteroid in 2029. According to the mission profile, one of the probes will collide with the asteroid generating a plume, whereas the second probe would record the impact with its spectrometer and its data will be collected during its re-entry. Blase revealed that this mission would only take about five years to complete with a $2 million budget and "once Apophis comes through, everything's done in about 12 hours," he said as per Space.com. Notably, Apophis is estimated to be about 1,100 feet (340 meters) across and although it is not approaching for the next century, there is still a chance of impact. 

The ultimate goal of Blase and his team is to keep the laser-driven craft on standby which could be used on potentially hazardous asteroids. "All of the basic technology in this proposal currently exists. We believe that Apophis offers a good opportunity to develop these capabilities for future use", Blase said.