Preparations continue for the launch of ESA’s Ramses spacecraft, which will monitor the close journey of the asteroid Apophis to Earth.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a €63 million contract with OHB Italia SpA to begin preparations for the Ramses mission to the asteroid. Apophis.

On April 13, 2029, this 375-meter asteroid It will pass at a distance of less than 32,000 kilometers from the Earth’s surface.that is, less than a tenth of the distance separating the Earth from the Moon.

“This rare natural phenomenon will attract the attention of the whole world and offer a unique opportunity for scientific research and planetary protection“, ESA said in a statement.

It has no way of colliding with Earth, and the purpose of the above mission is study the effect of this close flyby on the asteroid -in astronomical terms-. Before this visit, he will meet Apophis and accompany the asteroid on its flyby to observe how it deforms and changes under the influence of our planet’s gravity.

Thus, the Ramses spacecraft, using a set of scientific instruments, will conduct a detailed study before and after shape, surface, orbit, rotation and orientation of the asteroid.

Apophis could observe possible changes and provide scientists with a large amount of information about composition and structure of the asteroidas well as on his behavior in relation to external forces.

All this is important in assessing the best way to remove the dangerous asteroid from its collision course with Earth, ESA says. on your website. “Knowing these properties is very important if we want to prevent a dangerous asteroid from colliding with Earth,” ESA says.

2025, decisive vote

ESA will propose the project for approval and funding at its next Ministerial Council meeting in 2025 as a new planetary defense mission in its space security programme.

The spaceship will be based on film adaptation of HeraThe agency’s first mission to an asteroid, which was successfully launched on October 7 on a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida (USA).

The Ramses mission (Rapid Apophis mission for space security) will have to launch early 2028 to be able to reach Apophis in time and study it as it passes through the Earth.

Therefore, in July this year, ESA Member States approved the use of already existing funds to begin preparatory work for the consolidation/early implementation phase of the mission.

This work ensures that if Ramses receives full support in 2025, its launch will be viable within that time frame.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and OHB Italia Director General Roberto Aceti signed a contract that will allow the work to begin at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.

The funds will be used to begin the process of acquiring certain critical or enduring equipment, as well as to complete the overall spacecraft design.