Scientific Goals of Rendezvous Mission to Apophis

Abstract

The asteroid Apophis is one of the most potentially hazardous objects to Earth in human history, and many countries are paying attention to its 2029 approach to Earth. The asteroid’s 2029 encounter will not only greatly help promote understanding of the asteroid itself, but will also be a great opportunity to acquire knowledge of this Earth-threatening asteroid. The KASI (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute) is now conducting a pre-phase A study for the rendezvous mission to Apophis. In this article, I would like to explain the importance of research on the asteroid Apophis and address the scientific goals of this exploration mission.