On January 23, 2025, the OSIRIS-APEX mission team confirmed the successful completion of its second perihelion pass, with spacecraft operations reported as normal. Mike Moreau, deputy project manager for OSIRIS-APEX at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, stated, "There were no surprises, and the spacecraft is operating well." The spacecraft passed through perihelion on September 2, 2024, approaching the Sun closer than initially designed.
To protect its sensitive components from extreme temperatures, OSIRIS-APEX was oriented strategically between August 1 and October 13, 2024. Communication was limited during this time, particularly when the spacecraft was positioned behind the Sun relative to Earth. However, on October 13, full operations resumed, confirming the spacecraft's health through telemetry data.
By November 2024, routine checks indicated that OSIRIS-APEX remains in excellent condition following its perihelion encounter. This marks the second of six solar passes necessary for the spacecraft's six-year mission to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis in 2029. The next perihelion passage is scheduled for May 2025, following the completion of its first perihelion earlier in 2024.
The mission's performance highlights the robust engineering behind OSIRIS-APEX as it continues its critical journey toward its target.