This company wants to buy a dying satellite to approach the asteroid Apophis in 2029 and photograph it

Many cosmic events will take place over the next few years, and Apophis will be one of them. This near-Earth asteroid, measuring 340 meters in diameter, is expected to pass close to Earth in 2029, and numerous missions are already planned to observe this celestial object. But an Australian company has embarked on a surprising challenge and wants to buy a dying satellite in order to observe and photograph it.

It must be said that this is a unique opportunity for scientists to study an asteroid of this type. Indeed, it will pass about 31,600 km from Earth, which is little on the scale of the universe, and studying it could provide answers to many questions. Thus, several missions have already been planned by NASA to follow this asteroid and observe its evolution over time.

But for its part, the company HEO Robotics, located in Sydney, wants to embark on a unique challenge. It wishes to buy a dying geostationary satellite in order to use its remaining fuel to travel to this celestial object. And this may seem surprising, as geostationary satellites are usually placed on a separate orbit at the end of their service in order not to interfere with other devices.

Therefore, this project is a first step for this company, and other missions could follow, such as exploring other places in the universe. Furthermore, it should be noted that Apophis poses no danger to Earth, and observing it could help us understand how an asteroid reacts when it passes close to a planet.