The Planetary Society chose the winner of the Apophis Mission Design Competition from 37 projects, coming from all corners of the world. SpaceDev Inc., together with teammate SpaceWorks Engineering, were the winners of the $25,000 prize, in a contest that focused on monitoring the 2004 MN4 satellite, also known as Apophis, that is said to hit the Earth in 2036.

The competition, which was sponsored by both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) has the mission to gather data on the trajectory of the asteroid so as to establish the chances of an impact with our planet. The Foresight spacecraft designed by the winning team will travel to Apophis for closer observations, before specialists will decide whether a space mission will be necessary prior to the 2029 Earth pass.

“SpaceDev is honoured by this award, and we are proud of the design produced by our collaboration with SEI,” said Mark N. Sirangelo, SpaceDev Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CNNMoney reports. “We thank The Planetary Society, NASA and ESA for sponsoring the competition, which we expect to be influential in advancing the objectives of Near Earth Object threat mitigation. We believe that low-cost space missions will play a fundamental role in this critical work, and we look forward to contributing our capabilities to such efforts.”

Apophis’ situation is a delicate one, as it trajectory isn’t currently targeting Earth, but the influence of exterior factors could change that. If the asteroid, which is expected to get 18,300 miles close to our planet, passes though a keyhole during that time, it could change trajectory and an impact with our planet could become imminent upon a second pass in 2036.

The winners are expected to launch Foresight somewhere in between 2012 and 2014, while the journey to Apophis will last approximately 10 months. The importance of the observances is a key element in avoiding a possible destructive impact with our planet. According to scientists’ estimations, the 1,300 feet asteroid could provoke 56 feet high tsunamis if it will struck the Pacific Ocean.