Apophis is a on trajectory towards an Earth flyby on April 13, 2029.
Blue Origins proposal included using itsBlue Ring orbital platformto deliver payloads to Apophis.
The mission would launch in May 2028 and arrive at Apophis in February 2029.
This is radar image of a near-Earth asteroid similar to Apophis. We actually know very little about what Apophis looks like, but its pending flyby in 2029 will provide scientists with an unprecedented look.Image: NASA/JPL-CalTech
The space agency also has a spare pair of spacecraft that can be repurposed to study the Apophis asteroid.
An unfortunate software glitch delayed Psyches launch two months before its liftoff, therebyaffecting its ride-along missions.
As a result, the spacecraft were taken off the launch manifest and stowed away at Lockheed Martin.
Images of Apophis captured by radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex in California and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia when the asteroid was 10.6 million miles (17 million kilometers) away.Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech and NSF/AUI/GBO
And this is just the start.
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Artist’s conception of Blue Origin’s upcoming Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle.Image: Blue Origin
