A recent study suggests that a mission to explore the near-earth asteroid (NEA) 2024 YR4 could provide valuable insights into the early solar system. The asteroid, which orbits the sun every four years and crosses Earth’s orbit periodically, was initially estimated to have a 1% chance of impacting Earth in 2032. However, refined measurements have ruled out this possibility.
Researchers Adam Hibberd and Marshall Eubanks explored various mission architectures for a close flyby mission to study YR4 up close. Their draft paper proposes several potential launch windows between 2028 and the asteroid’s closest approach to Earth in 2032. The mission could also conduct a sample return, complementing previous missions like Hayabusa 1 and 2, OSIRIS-REx.
YR4 presents opportunities for scientists to study asteroids more easily than those in the Main Belt or beyond. By exploring this asteroid, researchers can gain insight into the solar system’s evolution and address questions about life emergence. The mission could also inform planetary defense strategies by characterizing YR4 as a potentially hazardous object (PHO).
The study leverages advancements in small satellites and gram-scale wafercraft to enable low-cost missions. Using these technologies, a small nanospacecraft could be launched on a CLPS or Artemis mission in 2028 to explore YR4.
Future missions to interstellar objects are also being explored, with the results of this investigation expected to expand our knowledge of the solar system and extrasolar star systems. The proposed mission to YR4 demonstrates the growing field of asteroid study and its potential to inform planetary defense strategies.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-03-asteroid-isnt-earth-mission-explore.html