The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for a mission to keep an eye on the asteroid Apophis. Its diameter is about 375 meters, which is slightly smaller than the Empire State Building skyscraper with a height of 381 meters to the roof. Engadget writes about it.
Apophis will approach Earth on April 13, 2029. ESA intends to become its "shadow", so it has announced the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) research mission.
As part of this program, the agency plans to launch a spacecraft to approach Apophis in early 2029 to accompany the asteroid during its flight. The mission is expected to allow scientists to study the size, shape, and other characteristics of the asteroid.
Scientists discovered Apophis in 2004, and in five years it will approach the Earth at a distance of about 32 thousand kilometers. According to the ESA, objects of this size come this close only once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.
