Scientists from a private space company are planning a controversial yet daring move to land on a dangerous asteroid as it leaps past Earth in three years’ time.
The space rock, dubbed Apophis, was first discovered in 2004 and is expected to make a close pass by Earth in 2029.
Previous calculations suggested a 2.7 percent chance of the asteroid colliding with Earth and potentially destroying an area nearly the size of a city.
However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists ruled out the potential risk of any impact for the foreseeable future.
The United States (U.S.)-based company ExLabs announced ambitious plans to send two landers to attempt a touchdown on the space rock as it passes nearly 32,000km from Earth.
Co-founder and Chief Science Officer Miguel Pascual said: “The main goal is to gain images from the surface of the asteroid,” adding, “There’s some really exciting science that can happen.”
ExLabs said that its mothership spacecraft, scheduled for launch in 2028, will carry 10 spacecraft, including two landers.
The space company plans to deploy a lander the size of a shoe box, which will continue taking pictures as it descends at a speed of 10 centimeters per second. The lander is expected to attempt a touchdown within an hour of deployment.
For context, a lander is a type of spacecraft designed to descend from orbit, pass through an atmosphere (if present), and make a soft, controlled landing on the surface of a celestial body.
To ensure Earth’s safety and no change in the asteroid’s orbit, ExLabs plans to execute the mission a week after Apophis’s flyby of Earth.
