NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe sent home samples of asteroid Bennu two months ago and is currently on a follow-up mission to another space rock with its remaining fuel. During this long journey, the spacecraft will orbit Venus, passing within 46.5 million miles (74.8 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface and 25 million miles (40.2 million kilometers) closer to the sun than planned. work.

To prepare the spacecraft for the coming burst of radiation, the mission team this week is installing one of the probe’s two solar panels to provide shade for the probe’s most sensitive instruments. A second panel facing the sun to power the OSIRIS-APEX probe, now so named because of the secondary mission.

Computer simulations show that keeping the spacecraft in a constant orientation as it orbits the sun should prevent overheating; “When you take spaceflight equipment outside of its design criteria, you put yourself at risk,” he said. expression Data from Mendoza Dell’Justin of the University of Arizona, principal investigator of the new mission.

OSIRIS-APEX and its instruments will exceed its limits several times starting on January 2, 2024, when it will make its first approach to the Sun. After five passes and three accelerations under the influence of Earth’s gravity, the probe, running on quarter maneuvering fuel, will reach its target, the peanut-shaped asteroid Apophis, in April 2029.

If everything goes as planned, the timing will be perfect. A space rock as large as the Empire State Building is expected to come within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth; This is the closest any space object of this size has ever come to our planet. (NASA has ruled out any threat to Earth from the space rock for at least a century. But you’ll be able to see Apophis for a few hours on the night of April 13, 2029.)

Scientists believe that Apophis, a remnant of the Solar System’s formation 4.6 billion years ago, began in the crowded asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was later ejected into its current orbit closer to the interior of the Solar System and Earth.

Since the asteroid’s tentative discovery in 2004, scientists have precisely determined its orbit, size and rotation. The space rock appears to rock back and forth, tilting slightly to form a full circle every 30 hours. Its delicate position is expected to be further affected when it approaches Earth in 2029, as our planet’s gravitational tides are likely to alter the rock’s orbit, spin, and even trigger surface-altering earthquakes or landslides.

Once OSIRIS-APEX reaches the rock, the probe will turn on its engines to dislodge and collect small rocks and dust loosely attached to the asteroid’s surface. This material will give scientists an idea about its structure and chemical composition. But until then, it will remain silent except for communicating with mission-critical systems. The devices will be powered on and tested when the probe moves further from the sun, probably in March next year.