NASA will also be taking advantage of this opportunity with its OSIRIS-APEX mission, which plans to meet the asteroid shortly after its pass of Earth.
OSIRIS-REx, the spacecraft had previously spent the past several years following the asteroid Bennu and successfully delivered NASA’s first asteroid sample collected from space.
Since its collection capsule was already used for Bennu, for Apophis the craft will use its gas thrusters to kick up dust and small rocks.
Though at first the asteroid’s size and trajectory invoked fear now that most risk has been ruled out scientists across the world look forward to April 2029. Hopefully, with the combined efforts of the ESA and NASA, Apophis’ passing will prepare us for any future asteroid that may head our way.