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Friday, October 16, 2026 · UTC
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Russia developing mission to asteroid Apophis ahead of 2029 flyby

Moscow university researchers confirmed work on the spacecraft on 12 October 2026.

Luisa Marconi
Senior Space Correspondent
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Russian scientists develop spacecraft for asteroid mission
Russian scientists develop spacecraft for asteroid mission AI illustrationhow this picture was made
MOSCOW, Russia, Oct. 12, 2026 - Russia is developing a mission to asteroid Apophis ahead of the object's close 2029 pass of Earth, researchers confirmed on 12 October 2026. [1] Work on the spacecraft's technical parameters is ongoing. Vladislav Osedlo, deputy director for research at Moscow State University's Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, said the mission may include a gamma-ray spectrometer. Data from that instrument could provide fundamentally new information about Apophis's origin and evolution. [2] [3] [4] Apophis will pass 32,000 kilometres from Earth's surface on 13 April 2029. The flyby poses no threat. It will however create unique conditions to observe how Earth's gravitational field acts on the asteroid and its surface. [5] [6] NASA and the European Space Agency also have scheduled missions to observe Apophis during the pass. [7] Space Nugget. An asteroid flyby this close is extremely rare for an object of this size. At 32,000 kilometres, Apophis will pass inside the orbit of almost all operating geosynchronous communications satellites.
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  1. Vladislav Osedlo, deputy director for scientific work at the Institute for Nuclear Physics of Moscow State University, stated that details of a Russian mission to asteroid Apophis are being developed. · Lenta.ruRussia
  2. Vladislav Osedlo, deputy director for research at Moscow State University's Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, told TASS on October 12, 2026, that Russia's mission to asteroid Apophis could provide fundamentally new information about its origin and evolution. · TASS
  3. Osedlo indicated that technical parameters for the spacecraft are currently being worked on and that the mission may include a gamma-ray spectrometer. · Lenta.ruRussia
  4. Osedlo claimed that gamma-ray emission data would provide fundamentally new information about the origin and evolution of the asteroid's substance. · Lenta.ruRussia
  5. The asteroid Apophis will pass 32,000 kilometers from Earth's surface on April 13, 2029, creating unique conditions for researchers to study it without posing a threat. · TASS
  6. Researchers are looking forward to obtaining important data on the effects of Earth's gravitational field on the asteroid and its surface during its approach. · TASS
  7. NASA's OSIRIS-APEX and the European Space Agency's RAMSES missions are scheduled to observe the asteroid Apophis. · TASS
The one we could place publishes from Russia. 1 could not be placed by their address. None is an official body: that part stands on reporting, not on the underlying document or transcript.