Here are a few options, maintaining a clear, journalistic tone:
**Option 1 (Direct and Concise):**
NASA’s ambitious mission to send a spacecraft alongside a potentially hazardous asteroid in 2029 has received approval to continue its development for at least the next year.
**Option 2 (Emphasizing the Conditional Aspect):**
The U.S. space agency has granted a provisional green light for its 2029 initiative, which aims to dispatch a spacecraft to shadow a potentially hazardous asteroid. Preparations for the mission are now confirmed to proceed for the coming 12 months.
**Option 3 (Focus on Ongoing Plans):**
Plans for NASA’s proposed 2029 mission, involving the deployment of a spacecraft to rendezvous with a potentially hazardous asteroid, will remain on track for at least another year.
In a critical development, the OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft has secured a last-minute reprieve, receiving a $20 million allocation in the House budget bill. This vital funding ensures the mission’s basic operations will continue for the upcoming fiscal year, effectively sidestepping previous threats of cancellation.
However, the outlook remains precarious for 18 other NASA missions. With operations slated to halt on October 1st, their future hangs in the balance due to the ongoing government shutdown, leaving their ultimate fates unclear.
Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina, principal investigator of OSIRIS-APEX at the University of Arizona, expressed profound “relief and gratitude” in an email to Live Science. This announcement initially surfaced on October 7 at a meeting of the National Academies’ Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences, a detail confirmed by Ars Technica.
The OSIRIS-APEX mission, an acronym for “Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security — Apophis Explorer,” is poised to conduct a detailed observation of the asteroid Apophis. This quarter-mile-wide (400-meter) celestial body gained attention years ago due to initial concerns it might pose a minor threat to Earth during its upcoming close encounter in 2029.
Recent, extensive observations have fortunately confirmed that the asteroid Apophis, named after an ancient Egyptian god associated with chaos, will safely bypass Earth. However, its trajectory dictates a remarkably close encounter; it is projected to pass inside the orbit of geostationary satellites, approximately 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) from our planet. This rare proximity could potentially render it visible to the naked eye. Nevertheless, as Apophis periodically intersects Earth’s orbital pathway, the long-term risk of a direct impact in the distant future persists.
The OSIRIS-APEX mission represents a new deployment for the highly successful OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This venerable vehicle previously achieved a significant milestone in 2020 by successfully collecting a valuable sample from the asteroid Bennu. That precious extraterrestrial material was subsequently delivered to Earth in a dedicated return capsule, offering scientists crucial insights into the early solar system’s formation.
With its core systems remaining in excellent operational health, the spacecraft is being repurposed for its new objective. Both NASA and Principal Investigator Dante DellaGiustina have emphasized that utilizing this existing mission to observe Apophis presents a far more cost-effective strategy than commissioning and launching an entirely new space mission.
According to DellaGiustina, Apophis represents one of the most compelling near-Earth asteroids ever discovered. Observing this celestial body during and after its close Earth encounter presents a unique opportunity to understand how planetary flybys can reshape small objects. Scientists aim to study a range of effects, from seismic shaking and surface landslides to alterations in its rotation and orbital trajectory.
In May, the Trump administration proposed the cancellation of the OSIRIS-APEX mission, listing it among 19 NASA projects slated for elimination. This initiative was part of a broader plan to implement sweeping budget cuts, which would have reduced the agency’s funding by nearly 25%, from $24.8 billion down to $18.8 billion.
However, the definitive fate of OSIRIS-APEX and the 18 other missions remains uncertain. This ambiguity is due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, which commenced on October 1 after lawmakers in Washington, D.C. failed to reach an agreement on the current fiscal budget.
While the OSIRIS-APEX mission has secured funding for its operations through the 2026-27 period, its long-term financial outlook, like all NASA initiatives, remains subject to annual congressional oversight. This yearly legislative review mandates that OSIRIS-APEX, alongside other ongoing agency projects, will undergo reconsideration for funding approval in the upcoming fiscal year.
DellaGiustina expressed optimism for the mission’s continued funding, noting its specific recognition within both the House and Senate versions of NASA’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget. This pivotal inclusion is largely attributed to the robust backing of Arizona’s congressional delegation, notably including Senator Mark Kelly (D), a seasoned former NASA astronaut, and Representative Juan Ciscomani (R). Ciscomani is an alumnus of the University of Arizona, which serves as the lead institution for OSIRIS-APEX and previously spearheaded the OSIRIS-REx mission.
DellaGiustina confirmed that Congress has acknowledged the vital importance of maintaining the spacecraft and its instruments in operational condition during its approach to Apophis. While this recognition does not guarantee future year funding, it provides essential momentum for the mission, significantly increasing the likelihood of successfully executing what he described as a “once-in-a-lifetime encounter.”
While recent funding brought a measure of relief to the broader team, a significant challenge has emerged for the project’s scientific endeavors. The science division received no financial allocation for active research this year, a critical shortfall that effectively paralyzes key operations. As a direct consequence, mission managers and their early-career mentees, including students, are currently unable to perform essential analysis, strategic planning, or any core mission-related scientific work.
The necessity of pausing their involvement for “a year or more” was described by DellaGiustina as “disheartening.” This development contrasts with the findings of the 2022 senior review of the NASA mission. That assessment, a recurring community-led effort conducted approximately every three years to evaluate the efficacy of scientific research, had specifically emphasized the importance of fostering mentorship within the team for the benefit of the broader space community.
A recent senior review has lauded the mission’s robust professional development strategy, designed to elevate junior scientists into more senior roles as operations advance. This internal talent pipeline is evident within OSIRIS-APEX’s senior leadership, where many, including DellaGiustina herself, ascended through the ranks after beginning their careers in junior positions on the predecessor OSIRIS-REx mission.
The two missions consistently demonstrate high scientific productivity, annually contributing a wealth of research papers. This sustained output earned significant praise from a senior review team, which, in 2022, specifically highlighted over 137 published studies. These works were lauded for delivering profound discoveries and crucial insights into the structure and evolution of a small asteroid.
In recent years, the scientific community has seen a surge of publications—many in the last three years alone—delving into the composition and origins of the asteroid Bennu, with more research on the horizon, according to DellaGiustina. A standout finding emerged in January with a Nature paper, which revealed that Bennu’s parent body once hosted a circulating brine rich in carbonates, often regarded as fundamental building blocks for life. This discovery led DellaGiustina to suggest that “the parent body may have been similar to an ocean world.”
