"SBAG Urges Preemptive Recon Mission to Intercept Apophis Threat"

NASA's Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) is urging NASA to send a spacecraft to study the asteroid Apophis before it passes close to Earth in 2029. While ground-based telescopes will provide some data, scientists want to gather measurements before and after the encounter. One option is to repurpose the Janus spacecraft, which are already built and ready for launch. However, budget constraints pose a challenge. SBAG recommends that NASA establish a process for shelved missions like Janus and explore alternative paths forward, including international or private collaborations.