99942 Apophis

At a glance

Key points

Impact has been ruled out for at least the next century.

• Passes inside the geostationary belt on 13 April 2029
• Naked-eye visible during the flyby
• No impact risk for at least a century

A rare flyby

Passing inside the ring of geostationary satellites, Apophis will brighten enough to be seen without a telescope from parts of the Eastern Hemisphere. An object this large comes this close only about once every 5,000 to 10,000 years, by ESA's estimate.

Exploration

NASA extended OSIRIS-REx as OSIRIS-APEX to rendezvous with Apophis after the flyby and study how Earth's gravity changes its surface and spin.

From threat to test case

Early orbit solutions after its discovery in 2004 briefly gave Apophis a 2.7% chance of hitting Earth in 2029. More observations soon ruled that out, but small chances in 2036 and 2068 lingered. Radar tracking by Goldstone and the Green Bank Telescope during a distant pass in March 2021 shrank the uncertainty in its 2029 position from hundreds of kilometres to a handful, and NASA removed Apophis from its impact risk list.

Seeing it in 2029

On 13 April 2029 Apophis will pass over the mid-Atlantic at about 32,000 km above Earth's surface. To the eye it will look like a moderately bright star moving noticeably against the background stars. ESA estimates that around two billion people across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia could see it from clear, dark skies without any optical aid.

Two spacecraft, one encounter

OSIRIS-APEX swung 3,438 km past Earth on 23 September 2025 and is due to reach Apophis in June 2029, later firing its thrusters close to the surface to stir up dust and expose fresher material. Ramses, an ESA-led joint mission with JAXA that received its full funding in November 2025, is planned to launch in April 2028 and arrive in February 2029, two months before the flyby, so it can survey the asteroid's shape, spin and surface before, during and after the pass.

Missions

1. 2016–2023

   OSIRIS-REx

   NASACompleted

   Returned 121.6 g of asteroid Bennu to Earth on 24 Sep 2023; continues as OSIRIS-APEX to Apophis.

2. 2023–

   OSIRIS-APEX

   NASAEn route

   The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, renamed; Earth flyby 23 Sep 2025, rendezvous with Apophis planned for Jun 2029.

   Mission page (opens in a new tab)

3. Launch planned Apr 2028

   Ramses

   ESA / JAXAPlanned

   Arrives Feb 2029 to study Apophis before, during and after its Earth flyby.

   Mission page (opens in a new tab)

Related entries

• 101955 BennuRubble-pile asteroid sampled by OSIRIS-REx

Sources

1. NASA JPL: NASA analysis: Earth is safe from asteroid Apophis for 100-plus years (2021) (opens in a new tab)
2. ESA: Boost in funding expands Space Safety programme (Nov 2025) (opens in a new tab)
3. JPL Small-Body Database: 99942 Apophis (opens in a new tab)
4. NASA Science: Apophis (opens in a new tab)
5. NASA JPL: CNEOS: Apophis' 2029 Earth encounter (opens in a new tab)
6. ESA: Ramses, ESA's mission to asteroid Apophis (opens in a new tab)
7. NASA Science: OSIRIS-APEX (opens in a new tab)

Last reviewed 10 Oct 2026 against these sources. Built from public NASA, ESA and JPL data; not affiliated with or endorsed by any agency.