NASA warns of big as an aircraft asteroid heading for Earth on September 11

NASA has warned that an asteroid as big as an aircraft is heading for Earth on September 11. Will it crash? Here’s what NASA has to say.

By: SHAURYA TOMER
| Updated on: Sep 08 2022, 17:33 IST

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This asteroid is worth $10,000 Quadrillion

1/6 hereas other asteroids are generally made up of ice or rocks, this unique asteroid is made up of nickel, which is one of the building blocks of the solar system. One of the biggest asteroids in our Solar System, the 16 Psyche asteroid is made up of gold, nickel and iron deposits and is supposedly worth more than Earth's economy. The asteroid is worth nearly $10,000 Quadrillion. (NASA)

Asteroid and Earth — 2/6 The Psyche Mission will also help scientists to study and understand iron cores, a previously unexplored building block of planet formation. The 16 Psyche asteroid mission is a part of NASA's Discovery missions. (Pixabay)

image caption — 3/6 The findings of this mission could enable scientists to develop a way of using asteroids as resources. Asteroids could come in handy when building structures in space, such as bases on other planets or even the Moon. Due to their 85 percent metal structure, they could be an excellent source of minerals. It is even said that the raw materials extracted from asteroids could even exceed the metal reserves present on Earth. (NASA)

4/6 The mission has been in the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations since March 2021. Since the launch window is limited, scientists and engineers have worked round the clock in order to finish the spacecraft's assembly in time. However, due to unexpected software issues, the mission has now been delayed and pushed to 2023. (NASA)

asteroids — Check out what NASA has to say about this dangerous asteroid which is on its way towards Earth. (Pixabay)

NASA's Artemis 1 mission is dominating the headlines these days. The Artemis Programme is NASA's first attempt to send a manned mission to the Moon since the Apollo missions in 1972. According to NASA, Artemis I will be the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. In the midst of all the news regarding Artemis 1 mission, NASA has also issued an asteroid warning.

The space agency has warned that an asteroid, named Asteroid 2022 RE is on its way towards Earth and is expected to just miss the planet on September 11. The asteroid is as big as an aircraft with a width of nearly 68 feet. It is travelling at a staggering speed of 44,064 kilometers per hour. The Asteroid 2022 RE will make its closest approach to Earth on September 11 at a distance of just 2.29 million kilometers.

We are just a week into the month of September and we have already witnessed nearly a dozen asteroids passing by Earth closely. Asteroid 2022 RE belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. According to the-sky.org, the distance of the asteroid 2022 RE from Earth is currently 4.07 million kilometers, equivalent to 0.03 astronomical units. The asteroid completes one orbit around the Sun in 992 days.

More about the Artemis 1 mission

The Artemis 1 mission was expected to launch with the help of NASA's new Space Launch System on August 29 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, this launch was scrubbed due to a malfunction in one of the RS-25 engines of the SLS. The launch was rescheduled for September 3 but that was scrubbed again due to a hydrogen tank leak. Now, NASA has decided to replace the seal on the rocket. Therefore, the mission launch is likely to be pushed back at least a month.

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First Published Date: 08 Sep, 17:33 IST