Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Planetary defense work is underway via the first commercial deep space rideshare mission, the Apophis EX mission by Exploration Labs.
Image credit: ExLabs

Colorado Springs, Colorado – Asteroid Apophis is a major rocky world visitor that in 2029 is whisking by Earth but also serves as a wake-up call for getting our planetary defense act together.

This Friday the 13^th 2029 Apophis passage is stirring up — as luck would have it — considerable multi-nation action plans to reconnoiter that object at various stages as it careens toward Earth.

Asteroid Institute leader Edward Lu, former NASA astronaut, details his view of deflection techniques during panel discussion.
Image credit: Barbara David

A new entry for in-space Apophis-watching is what’s billed as the first commercial deep space rideshare mission: Exploration Labs’ (ExLabs) Apophis EX mission.

For more details, go to my new Space.com story – “This is going to be what makes the Earth secure – How one California company plans to protect us from dangerous asteroids,” – at:

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/asteroid-comet-missions/this-is-going-to-be-what-makes-the-earth-secure-how-one-california-company-plans-to-protect-us-from-dangerous-asteroids