2024-07-23 18:00:00
In just a few years, an asteroid will approach the Earth closely enough to be seen from several continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe), which is why the European Space Agency (ESA) has developed a mission to monitor it.
This is Ramsés, a probe that will be sent into space to closely follow asteroid Apophis 99942, which was discovered in 2004, as a possible threat to the planet.
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The mission will seek to study how the planet’s gravity will affect the asteroid. While the probability of impact was estimated at 2.70%, it has already been ruled out that it will collide with the planet.
According to a report from the page El Español-Omícrono, asteroid Apophis has a diameter of 375 meters and is expected to pass about 32,000 kilometers from Earth on April 13, 2029.
The ESA project states that the Ramsés probe will travel to meet Apophis before it passes by Earth. Additionally, it will closely follow its trajectory. The launch will be in April 2028.
On the other hand, the mission will also study the feasibility of a planetary defense system based on scientific data.