It’s rather seldom that we can forecast, so far in advance – to the day, with this degree of confidence. Such is the nature of space science. While many are aware of this approaching event it seems the vast majority of folks apparently have no idea what’s coming, it’s reasonable to expect this will become a globally known topic in the coming years with the same potential for chatter as more recent ‘not normal’ times.
On Friday the 13th of April 2029 asteroid Apophis will pass within 32,000 km of Earth’s surface, which is inside our Geostationary satellite orbit of 35,000 km. Radar observations have estimated approximate size at 450 by 170 meters (1,480 by 560 feet), for comparison that’s roughly an Empire State Building. It will be the closest approach of an asteroid of this size that humans have ever been aware of in advance.
First observed in June 2004, and soon identified as one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids ever detected, the initial risk of an impact in 2029 rose to the highest ever rating on Torino scale method used to evaluate a threat that an asteroid poses to Earth. A collision would be devastating, and so the asteroid was named by its discoverers after the Egyptian god of chaos and destruction.
The European Space Agency (ESA) announced Rapid Apophis Mission for SpacE Safety (Ramses), project overview, to deploy a spacecraft with two cubesats studying Apophis with a particular focus on the gravitational affect of it’s future orbit. Imagine live video feed of the flyby from that position would be popular. In August of 2025 they indicated a potential collaboration with the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) for solar arrays, infrared imaging, and most critically the ride-share launch provision on an H3 rocket.
They unveiled the launch logo at the 2025 International Astronautical Congress in Sydney and established a Tokyo office in October with the ESA Ministerial Council Meeting approving budget by late November: Good To Go! The target lift-off date is April 2028 to enable rendezvous with Apophis in February 2029, two months before the close approach. Naturally we will continue to follow and post updates going forward.
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— WWJ Editors