Astronomers predict that in approximately 5-1/2 years, an asteroid, nearly the width of the Empire State Building, will pass within 20,000 miles (32,200 km) of Earth, marking the closest encounter of an object of such magnitude in modern history.

At that time, a NASA-launched spacecraft from 2016 is anticipated to be in a prime position to conduct an extensive examination of this uncommon proximity, as reported by Reuters.

Led by scientists from the University of Arizona, the mission aims to uncover insights into planetary formation and gather information crucial for fortifying a defense strategy against potential catastrophic asteroid collisions with Earth.

Initially considered a potential threat upon its discovery in 2004, the asteroid, named Apophis after an ancient Egyptian mythological demon serpent symbolizing chaos and evil, was previously projected to pose an impact risk in 2029. Subsequent refined observations have eliminated any imminent collision threat for at least another century.

However, during its next approach in 2029, Apophis will pass incredibly close to Earth, within a fraction of the moon's distance and well inside the orbits of certain geosynchronous Earth satellites.

The spacecraft en route to rendezvous with Apophis is OSIRIS-REx, which gained attention three years ago for collecting a soil sample from a different asteroid and returning it to Earth in a capsule that safely landed via parachute in Utah in September.