Abstract
The Apophis Exploratory and Mitigation Platform (AEMP) concept was developed as a prototype mission to explore and potentially deflect the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) 99942 Apophis. Deflection from a potential 2036 impact will be achieved using a gravity tractor technique, while a permanent deflection, eliminating future threats, will be imparted using a novel albedo manipulation technique. This mission would serve as an archetypal template for future missions to small NEAs and could be adapted to mitigate other Earth-crossing objects. The baseline mission profile consists of six phases: launch, rendezvous, pre-mitigation exploration, short term mitigation, long term mitigation, and post-mitigation investigation.