'We Won't Die': Russian Space Agency Comments on Skyscraper-Sized Asteroid Approaching Earth

The space rock will be closer to our planet than any other asteroid in the next decade - it is expected to come within 120,000 km of the Earth, which is significantly closer than the Earth-Moon distance (384,402 kilometres).

The dangerous asteroid 2011 ES4, which is at least 25 metres (82 feet) in diameter, will approach Earth on Tuesday, 2 September, according to NASA. The closest distance between 2011 ES4 and the planet will be at 16:12 GMT.

Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation noted that the asteroid poses no danger to our planet.

"We won't die", the corporation said, noting that at least 80 space rocks of the same class as 2011 ES4 approached Earth in August.

Астероиды из группы Аполлонов достаточно часто приближаются к Земле. В августе было зафиксировано почти 80 сближений, самое близкое из которых составило менее 8 тыс. км. При этом подавляющее число сближений – новые объекты, и только 10 объектов обнаружены ранее (в 2007 – 2018 гг) pic.twitter.com/Q3Kp8W2XjZ

— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) August 30, 2020

​Earlier this week, NASA also warned that another asteroid will approach Earth on 2 November - right before the US presidential elections. The agency noted, however, that the chances of it making an impact are 0.41 percent.

— NASA STI Program (@NASA_STI) August 27, 2020