The article examines the growing number of missions designed to study asteroid 99942 Apophis during its exceptionally close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, when it will pass within approximately 32,000 kilometers of the planet without posing an impact threat.

This rare event offers scientists an outstanding opportunity to observe how Earth's gravity may alter the asteroid's surface and internal structure.

The two primary missions remain NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft, formerly OSIRIS-REx, which will investigate Apophis after its closest approach, and the European Space Agency's RAMSES mission, which will arrive beforehand.Japan's DESTINY+ spacecraft will also perform a flyby after launching alongside RAMSES.

The article's main focus is START (Student-led Threatening Asteroid Reconnaissance of Tsinghua), an inexpensive mission developed by Tsinghua University in China with an estimated budget of about $2.8 million.

Unlike most Chinese space projects, START is independent of the country's traditional government space organizations and will launch aboard LandSpace's commercial Zhuque-3 rocket.

The 200-kilogram spacecraft will gradually raise its orbit using xenon-powered electric propulsion before attempting a close flyby of Apophis at a relative speed of 8.74 kilometers per second, potentially passing as close as seven kilometers from the asteroid.

Although its scientific return will be limited due to the brief encounter, the mission demonstrates how relatively simple and affordable spacecraft can contribute valuable observations.

The article also reviews several other proposed Apophis missions—including APOSSUM, ATENA, RA, Satis, CASPER, TERP RAPTOR, and RaCATSS—many of which were ultimately canceled or remain unrealized.

If current plans proceed, Apophis will become one of the most extensively studied small bodies in the Solar System thanks to the combined efforts of multiple international missions.