Rendezvous Mission to Apophis: II. Science Goals

99942 Apophis is an Sq-type Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) with an estimated diameter of 370 m. It will approach the Earth down to 31,000 km from the surface during the encounter on April 13, 2029 UT, which is closer than geostationary satellites. This once-in-a-20,000 year opportunity would further expand our knowledge on the physical and dynamical processes which are expected to occur due to the gravitational tidal forces when an asteroid encounter with a planet. It will also provide an opportunity to promote great knowledge of the science of planetary defense. The science goal of the Apophis mission is to global-map the asteroid before and after the Earth's approach. In this talk, we will present scientific objectives, and briefly introduce instruments and operation scenarios of the mission.