Investigation of the approaching and landing scenario of a probe on asteroid Apophis during its closed encounter in 2029

Abstract

In 2029, an asteroid called Apophis is going to perform a flyby of Earth, coming 10 times closer than the Moon, inside geostationary orbit, where most of our communication satellites are placed. This will be an unprecedented opportunity to study materials and structures of asteroids, understand the Solar System and the early stages of planetary formation. To achieve this, Apossum mission is being designed, in order to bring more information to the field. In this paper, the whole mission scenario is studied in detail in order to assess the feasibility of it. Here is included the separation phase, the cruise towards Apophis, and the subsequent landing and return phases. The central focus of the report is the detailed landing scenario, which includes an extensive study on the densities of Apophis and a comparison of several control techniques to land successfully on the surface of Apophis. The results will provide an insight on the possible techniques to land and the associated density scenario. The lessons learned from this mission would enhance the understanding in smallbody landings, creating more opportunities for future missions to explore such celestial objects, thus providing the possibility of studying these asteroids and implementing control techniques in order to perform precise landing missions.