The object identified in September is within 31,000 miles of Earth and could be a piece of a 1966 rocket

Scientists may soon solve the mystery of 2020 SO – an object discovered in September that could be NASA’s discarded 1966 Surveyor 2 Centaur rocket returning home or simply an asteroid.

At around 3:50 am ET on Tuesday, 2020, the SO arrived 31,605 miles from Earth, allowing astronomers to collect images and data from the mysterious object.

It was first discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey in Hawaii on September 17 and announced two days later by the Minor Planet Center.

The original astronomers thought 2020 SO was an oncoming asteroid, but details of its size seem to match the properties of the 1966 Centaur measuring 41.6 feet in length – the object is said to be between 12 and 46 feet long.

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Pan-STARRS spotted the object on the evening of September 17 that was following a light, but distinctly curved path in the sky, which led them to believe it was an asteroid.

Another team in California, the NASA-funded Center for Near-Earth Objects (CNEOS), saw the same object, but thought something was wrong with its orbit.

CNEOS Paul Chodas is one of those who are suspicious of the discovery and has decided to “turn the clock back” to see the object’s orbit backwards with the hope of finding out where it was before making its way into Earth’s gravity.

Chodas found that 2020 SO had come a little close to Earth a few times over the decades, but his late 1966 approach, according to his analysis, would have been close enough to have originated from Earth.

“One of the possible pathways for 2020 SO brought the object very close to Earth and the Moon in late September 1966,” Chodas said.

“It was like a eureka moment when a quick check of the launch dates for the lunar missions showed a match with the Surveyor 2 mission.”

NASA’s JPL said it would use spectroscopy when 2020 SO made its closest approach this morning, which would confirm exactly what it is.

2020 SO is currently stuck in Earth’s gravity and orbiting the planet.

Chodas told the New York Times that he will escape from the grips of our planet by March 2021 and will once again embark on his journey around the sun.

However, he also notes that “in 2036 it will return,” giving scientists another chance to probe the 2020 SO.

The Surveyor 2 lunar lander was launched to the moon on September 20, 1966 aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket.

The mission was tasked with reconnaissance of the lunar surface prior to the Apollo missions, which led to the first manned lunar landing in 1969.

Shortly after takeoff, Surveyor 2 successfully separated from its Centaur top-tier booster as expected.

But control of the spacecraft was lost the next day when one of its thrusters failed to fire, causing the craft to spin.

The spacecraft crashed into the moon just southeast of the Copernicus crater on September 23, 1966.

The Centaur rocket in the upper stage passed the Moon and disappeared into an unknown orbit around the Sun.

But NASA and other astronomers may find that she has returned home for a short visit.