"'The goal is to gain images from the surface of the asteroid,' Miguel Pascual, chief science officer and co-founder of US company ExLabs told New Scientist. 'There's some really exciting science that can happen.'"
"ExLabs has announced that its mothership spacecraft, named ApophisExL, has passed an important review phase ahead of a planned launch in 2028."
"The landing will take place up to a week before Apophis passes Earth, allowing for close-up observations of the asteroid."
A private space company aims to land on the asteroid Apophis when it passes Earth in 2029. Initially thought to have a 2.7% chance of impact, the threat has been downgraded. Two landers will be deployed to explore Apophis, which is 340 meters wide. The landers will capture images and gather data on the asteroid's surface. ExLabs' spacecraft, ApophisExL, will launch in 2028, carrying various instruments, including the landers developed by different organizations.
Read at Mail Online
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]