On April 13, 2029, asteroid 99942 Apophis — named after the Egyptian god of chaos and destruction — will pass within 32,000 km of Earth, closer than geostationary satellites and visible to the naked eye from parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. At approximately 340 metres wide, roughly the height of the Empire State Building, such a close flyby of a large asteroid occurs only once every 7,500 years.
An S-Type Asteroid
Apophis is an S-type stony asteroid — the second most common asteroid type — composed primarily of silicate rock with a notable nickel-iron content. Thought to originate from the inner main asteroid belt and redirected into a near-Earth orbit by gravitational forces. The 2029 flyby will allow scientists to measure its density, internal layering, and mineral composition in ways previously not possible — data that will sharpen planetary defence models and clarify the resource potential of near-Earth asteroids.
The Apophis EX Mission: Earth Tech Meets Deep Space
Australian company Fleet Space has partnered with U.S. firm ExLabs for the Apophis EX mission, targeting a 2028 launch. Rather than travelling to a distant asteroid, the spacecraft will rendezvous with Apophis during its close Earth approach. Fleet Space will contribute its ExoSphere geophysical sensing system — a fast 3D subsurface mapping technology already deployed by some of the world’s largest mining companies — to characterise Apophis’s internal structure and mineral content. The mission creates a framework for identifying and prioritizing asteroids for resource prospecting while delivering critical intelligence for future deep-space exploration.
NASA, ESA, and other space agencies are also planning dedicated missions to Apophis, making the 2029 flyby one of the most significant opportunities yet to advance planetary defence science. Collectively, data from these missions will refine planetary defence models and guide future asteroid resource efforts — with Apophis serving as the proving ground for a new generation of off-world exploration technologies.
Illustration credit: Robert Lea/NASA (Asteroid and spacecraft not to scale)
References
Fleet Space Targets Apophis For Off-World Exploration Mission
https://www.fleetspace.com/newsroom/fleet-space-targets-apophis-for-off-world-exploration-mission
MetalTech News – Fleet Space joins ExLabs Apophis mission https://www.metaltechnews.com/story/2025/09/24/mining-tech/fleet-space-joins-exlabs-apophis-mission/2487.html
NASA – Apophis 2029 Close Approach Overview https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/apophis/
Stanford Mineral-X Program https://mineralx.stanford.edu/
Apophis EX Mission
https://exlabs.space/missions/apophis-ex
‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis will fly by Earth in April 2029 — and these 3 space probes will be watching