A close pass you can actually see<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Apophis is not a tiny speck. NASA puts <\/a>its mean diameter at about 1,115 feet, with a longest dimension at about 1,480 feet, which is roughly the length of four NFL football fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It will move quickly across the sky, so it may look more like a faint \u201cstar\u201d that drifts than a bright point that sits still. A dark horizon helps, so this is the kind of night when stepping away from streetlights can make all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Apophis <\/a>was discovered in 2004, early calculations briefly suggested a small chance of impacts on dates such as 2029, 2036, or 2068. That period did not last, but it stuck to the asteroid\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ESA says radar observations in March 2021 improved its orbit estimate enough to rule out any chance of Earth impact for at least 100 years and remove it from ESA\u2019s risk list. NASA similarly says it is confident Apophis will not impact Earth for at least a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason scientists are excited is not because Apophis is dangerous, but because it is close. NASA and ESA expect Earth\u2019s gravity to alter the asteroid\u2019s orbit, change its spin, and potentially trigger small quakes or landslides on its surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both agencies also say the encounter should widen Apophis\u2019 orbit, shifting it from the Aten group of asteroids to the Apollo group. In plain terms, Earth is about to give the asteroid a measurable gravitational \u201cnudge,\u201d<\/a> and we get to see what that does to a rocky world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ESA\u2019s Rapid Apophis Mission<\/a> for Space Safety, known as Ramses, is built around a simple idea. Get to Apophis before the flyby, then document changes before, during, and after Earth\u2019s pull does its work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On February 10, 2026, ESA signed a contract worth \u20ac81.2 million with OHB Italia<\/a>, about $97 million using the European Central Bank\u2019s reference rate for that day. ESA says this builds on earlier work and brings the mission\u2019s total value to about \u20ac150 million, roughly $178 million at the same rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ESA says Ramses needs to launch in April 2028 and arrive in February 2029, about two months before the close approach. That timing gives researchers a rare baseline view before Earth\u2019s gravity starts reshaping the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NASA\u2019s counterpart is OSIRIS-APEX, an extended mission of OSIRIS-REx after it returned Bennu samples<\/a> in 2023. NASA lists a June 2029 rendezvous date, meaning it will study Apophis after the Earth encounter rather than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The spacecraft is already on its way thanks to a gravity assist. NASA reports OSIRIS-APEX flew about 2,100 miles above Earth on September 23, 2025 to redirect toward Apophis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once there, the mission will not just observe from a distance. NASA says OSIRIS-APEX may dip toward the surface and fire its engines to kick up dust and rocks, giving scientists a peek at material just below the surface after the flyby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Government missions are not the only ones aiming for the asteroid. ExLabs<\/a> says it is partnering with Japan\u2019s Chiba Institute of Technology to send two university-led landing payloads to Apophis during the 2029 encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRead More: NASA says the \u2018God of Chaos\u2019 asteroid will pass closer than many satellites in 2029, and the rare flyby will be visible without a telescope<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
From early fear to high confidence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Earth\u2019s gravity will do the experimenting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/nasa-osiris-apex-apophis-asteroid-2029-flyby.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Ramses gets there first<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Read More: Scientists warn that synthetic mirror bacteria could slip past natural defenses, and the threat is not a virus but a form of life built backwards<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
OSIRIS-APEX arrives after the flyby<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A private company plans landers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n