Russian mission aims to study asteroid Apophis before its 2029 Earth flyby

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  Lomonosov Moscow State University is preparing a mission to study asteroid Apophis.

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  Researchers say the mission could provide new information about the asteroid’s origin and evolution.

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  Apophis will pass 32,000 kilometers from Earth’s surface on April 13, 2029, and poses no threat.

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  Researchers are working on the spacecraft’s technical parameters and its flight to the asteroid.

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  A planned gamma spectrometer could help determine the elemental composition of Apophis’s material.

Who

Lomonosov Moscow State University is preparing the mission, with researchers at its Institute of Nuclear Physics working on the spacecraft.

What

A Russian mission aims to study asteroid Apophis, including its composition and how Earth’s gravity affects it.

When

Apophis will pass Earth on April 13, 2029. The mission’s launch date is not stated.

Where

Apophis will pass 32,000 kilometers from Earth’s surface.

Why

Researchers hope to learn about Apophis’s origin and evolution and how Earth’s gravity affects the asteroid and its surface.

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