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\t\t\t\t\t\t10\/02\/2026<\/span> On 10 February 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract with OHB Italia for the development of the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). Launching in 2028, Ramses will rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis before its rare close encounter with Earth. The mission will provide unique insight into the physical properties and behaviour of asteroids, and strengthen international collaboration and European capabilities in planetary defence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The contract, worth \u20ac81.2 million, was signed today by ESA and OHB Italia at ESA\u2019s ESTEC technology centre in the Netherlands and begins the spacecraft construction, assembly and testing phase of the Ramses mission.<\/p>\n This builds upon the contract signed in October 2024 to begin preparatory work on the mission and brings the total value to approximately \u20ac150 million.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cWith Ramses, ESA is seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study asteroid Apophis as it swings past Earth, deepening our understanding of near-Earth objects and advancing our capabilities to protect our planet,\u201d said Orson Sutherland, Mars & Beyond Projects Group Leader at ESA.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mission demonstrates European industry\u2019s excellence and our commitment to international cooperation, while pushing the boundaries of robotic space exploration and inspiring people around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are proud to be entrusted by ESA with the Ramses mission,\u201d said Roberto Aceti, CEO of OHB Italia.<\/p>\n \u201cThis contract reflects the confidence placed in our team\u2019s expertise and decades-long heritage in delivering complex space systems. We look forward to working with ESA and our partners to deliver this truly ambitious mission for planetary defence.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n By bringing onboard OHB, the Ramses mission capitalises on the wealth of experience developed across Europe during the construction of ESA\u2019s first planetary defence mission, Hera, which will arrive at the Didymos binary asteroid system later this year.<\/p>\n Like Hera, Ramses will carry two deployable CubeSats developed by European industry and designed to extend the mission\u2019s scientific reach once it arrives at Apophis.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A second contract worth \u20ac8.2 million was signed today with Italy’s\u00a0Tyvak International\u00a0for the construction of one of Ramses\u2019 CubeSats, named Farinella after the Italian planetary scientist Paolo Farinella. As with the main Ramses spacecraft, this builds on an earlier contract worth \u20ac4.7 million awarded for preparatory work last year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are excited to take on the challenge of delivering a small spacecraft that can make a big contribution to the study of the asteroid Apophis during its historic close Earth flyby,\u201d said Fabio Nichele, CEO of Tyvak International.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThis mission highlights the strength of European industrial collaboration and underscores how innovative small satellites can play a key role in advancing planetary science and safeguarding our planet.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ramses mission also brings in expertise from beyond Europe.\u00a0Ramses is a joint mission by ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).<\/p>\n JAXA\u2019s contributions include spacecraft components such as the solar arrays and thermal infrared imager, and a potential rideshare launch with JAXA\u2019s Destiny+ mission.\u00a0Japanese researchers also participate in Ramses\u2019 scientific activities.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Ramses will rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid (99942) Apophis ahead of its incredibly rare and scientifically valuable flyby of Earth on 13 April 2029. The event will bring the roughly 375-metre object within about 32 000 km of our planet \u2013 less than one tenth the distance from Earth to the Moon.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Scientists around the world are eager to observe how the asteroid\u2019s shape, spin and structure respond to Earth\u2019s gravitational forces during this rare, but entirely safe, encounter. The insights gained from this natural experiment will enhance our understanding of how near-Earth objects behave under external forces.<\/p>\n This is critical knowledge for future planetary defence strategies against potentially hazardous asteroids.\u00a0Ramses will thus contribute significantly to the core goal of ESA\u2019s Space Safety Programme to protect Earth from natural and humanmade hazards originating in space.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Ramses Critical Design Review, conducted by ESA\u2019s expert review board over the last few months, concluded on 6 February. It confirmed that the detailed design of the Ramses spacecraft meets all technical, scientific and programmatic requirements.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cPassing the Critical Design Review in record time gives us full confidence that Ramses\u2019 design is mature, robust and ready to be built,\u201d said Paolo Martino, Ramses mission manager.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccessfully maintaining the mission\u2019s accelerated pace is an endorsement of the team\u2019s commitment and engineering vision under a very demanding schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n With this critical milestone behind it, and the contract signed, the Ramses team will now focus on building, assembling and testing the flight spacecraft and its systems. Over the next year, hardware components such as the main spacecraft bus and payload instruments will be assembled and integrated.<\/p>\n This will be followed by rigorous environmental and functional tests to prepare the mission for its planned launch window in Spring 2028.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe Ramses team assembles<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA unique opportunity<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTime to build<\/h2>\n
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