The 2029 RAMSES (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) mission

Key aspects of the Ramses mission:

• Purpose:

  To study Apophis's physical properties and response to Earth's gravity, in preparation for potential future asteroid deflection missions.
• Timeline:
• If approved, Ramses is planned to launch in April 2028 and arrive at Apophis in February 2029, before its closest approach to Earth in April 2029. 
• Approach:
• The mission will utilize technology developed for the ESA's Hera mission. 
• Instrumentation:
• Ramses will carry various instruments to study Apophis, including visible cameras and CubeSats for surface studies.
• CubeSats:
• The mission will deploy two CubeSats, one of which may be a lander to conduct surface studies of Apophis.
• Decision:
• The ESA's Ministerial Council Meeting in November 2025 will decide whether to approve the mission.