Scientists at a private space company are planning a controversial but bold move to land on a dangerous asteroid that will pass Earth in three years.
The space rock, named Apophis, was first discovered in 2004 and is expected to pass by Earth in 2029.
Previous calculations suggested a 2.7 percent chance that the asteroid would collide with Earth and potentially destroy an area nearly the size of a city.
However, scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ruled out the potential risk of any impact in the foreseeable future.
The US-based company ExLabs announced ambitious plans to send two landers to attempt to land on the space rock as it passes almost 32,000 kilometers from Earth.
Co-founder and chief scientist Miguel Pascual said, “The main goal is to image the surface of the asteroid,” adding, “There is something really exciting scientific that can happen.”
ExLabs said its mother spacecraft, scheduled to launch in 2028, will carry 10 spacecraft, including two landers.
The space company plans to deploy a shoebox-sized lander, which will continue taking photographs as it descends at a speed of 10 centimeters per second. The lander is expected to attempt to land an hour after its deployment.
For context, a lander is a type of spacecraft designed to descend from orbit, pass through an atmosphere (if present), and make a soft, controlled landing on the surface of a celestial body.
To ensure the safety of Earth and that there are no changes to the asteroid's orbit, ExLabs plans to execute the mission a week after Apophis's flyby of Earth.
