A growing chorus of scientists is urging NASA to take immediate action to repurpose two dormant small spacecraft for a high-stakes mission to the near-Earth asteroid Apophis, which is set to make an exceptionally close flyby of Earth in April 2029.
An illustration of the Janus spacecraft. Illustration: Lockheed Martin
In a newly released set of recommendations from the Apophis T–4 Years Workshop held last month in Tokyo, researchers pressed NASA to act on proposals submitted in response to a 2023 Request for Information (RFI) about using the Janus spacecraft—twin smallsats originally designed for asteroid flybys—for a pre-flyby mission to Apophis.
The Janus mission was sidelined after delays to NASA’s Psyche mission, with which it was supposed to share a ride to space. Since then, the spacecraft have been placed in storage, and scientists have been exploring alternative uses. The consensus from the Tokyo workshop is clear: Janus offers NASA its best chance at mounting a U.S.-led mission to Apophis before its dramatic approach.
“We follow-up by urging NASA to issue a timely response to the Apophis 2029 Innovation Using the Janus Spacecraft Request for Information,” the workshop report stated.
NASA has yet to publicly comment on the status of Janus since the RFI response period ended in October 2023. At a May 15 House Science Committee hearing, Dr. Nicky Fox, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science, acknowledged the agency had explored various partnership and mission options but concluded none were feasible without significant additional funding.
“We didn’t find a viable path forward without significant budget from us that we actually didn’t have,” Fox told lawmakers.
NASA is already committed to a post-flyby mission to Apophis via OSIRIS-APEX, the renamed OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that successfully returned asteroid samples to Earth in 2023. OSIRIS-APEX is scheduled to arrive at Apophis shortly after its closest approach, and will begin scientific observations within two weeks of the flyby.
While these will be relatively low-resolution observations, Fox noted they will still provide valuable insights into how Apophis’s surface is affected by Earth’s tidal forces. “We’re going to have some really nice images of how the light and the brightness changes,” she said.
Following the hearing, Fox clarified that the Janus option remains under consideration, though its fate will likely depend on NASA’s budget for fiscal year 2026 and beyond.
NASA isn't alone in its Apophis ambitions. The European Space Agency (ESA) is developing a mission called RAMSES, which would reach Apophis before the flyby. ESA has already approved initial funding and is expected to seek full mission funding at its next ministerial meeting in November.
Meanwhile, Japan’s space agency JAXA is assessing whether its DESTINY+ spacecraft—already en route to the asteroid Phaethon—could be rerouted to include a flyby of Apophis in 2028, thanks to a launch delay and vehicle switch.
Several other mission concepts were presented at the Tokyo workshop by companies, universities, and international collaborators, though many face technological or financial challenges that may keep them grounded before Apophis’s Earth flyby in 2029.
The workshop’s final report emphasized support for OSIRIS-APEX, RAMSES, and DESTINY+, calling them the highest-priority missions. “These should be fully funded and supported to ensure successful achievement of their science objectives,” the recommendations stated.
With less than four years before Apophis swings by Earth—a moment that will captivate scientists and the public alike—time is running short to launch a mission that can intercept the asteroid beforehand.
“We collectively entreat and emphasize… that time is of the essence for moving forward decisively in funding current science investigations proposed and underway,” the workshop concluded. “These are essential for achieving the Apophis science outcomes being anticipated and to be watched by the entire world.”
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