NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft recently captured amazing images of Earth during a flyby. This event took place on September 23, 2025, when the probe zoomed just 2,136 miles above our planet. The photos show beautiful swirling clouds and vast oceans, offering a stunning view as it heads toward the asteroid Apophis.
The spacecraft also took a remarkable shot of the moon from about 370,000 miles away the next day. According to NASA, this maneuver used Earth’s gravity to speed up OSIRIS-APEX for its journey.
OSIRIS-APEX is the follow-up to the OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned samples from the asteroid Bennu in 2023. Unlike Bennu, Apophis is a metal-rich asteroid with a different composition. While it was once thought to pose a significant risk to Earth, it offers a unique opportunity for scientists to study how various asteroid types respond to close encounters with our planet.
The flyby is just the beginning. OSIRIS-APEX’s next big event will happen on April 13, 2029, when Apophis will pass closer to Earth than many satellites. Researchers are excited to see how the asteroid reacts during this close approach, as Earth’s gravitational pull might reshape its surface or alter its trajectory.
Once OSIRIS-APEX reaches Apophis, it will spend about 18 months mapping the asteroid and studying its features. The spacecraft hopes to get closer to the surface, stir up dust, and reveal hidden materials.
The images taken during the flyby highlight the capabilities of the spacecraft’s instruments. Its MapCam equipped with RGB filters and StowCam, designed for still and video imagery, confirmed that everything is working well after years in space.
As OSIRIS-APEX progresses on its mission, it will provide valuable insights into asteroids and how they interact with gravitational forces. This may deepen our understanding of the history and evolution of such bodies in our solar system.
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