Russia intends to send a satellite to the approaching asteroid Apophis

The Skobeltsyn Research Institute of Nuclear Physics at Lomonosov Moscow State University is working on a plan to implement a unique mission to the large asteroid Apophis, which will fly near Earth in the spring of 2029. This was announced on April 13 by the director of the scientific center, Eduard Boos.

"A fairly large asteroid Apophis in 2029 will fly near the Earth, at a distance of only 32 thousand km, according to calculations. To make it clear, some geostationary satellites fly at an altitude of 40 thousand km from the Earth. <...> We are working on a project to organize a mission to it by 2029," Boos said in an interview with TASS.

According to him, the task is feasible, for this purpose it is possible to use cubesat satellites or small spacecraft. In this case, the purpose of the mission will be a detailed study of the asteroid.

At the same time, Moscow State University Rector Viktor Sadovnichy noted that sending a Russian satellite to Apophis would make it possible to better predict major asteroid threats. According to him, sending a satellite is one of the university's space projects, on which "the life of mankind depends."

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In September 2024, it was reported that in the unlikely event of the asteroid Apophis falling to Earth, the impact force would be 506 megatons — equivalent to 40 nuclear bombs, like the one dropped on Hiroshima. It is specified that the diameter of the asteroid Apophis is more than 350 m, the density is 3000 kg/ m3, and the weight is 27 million tons.

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