ESA and JAXA to seize ultra-rare chance to study a 1,230-foot asteroid in a close Earth flyby
ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) are collaborating on the Ramses (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) mission. The Ramses mission will launch a spacecraft that will meet with Apophis and accompany it as it flies past Earth on April 13, 2029.
Apophis is an asteroid that measures about 375 meters (1,230 feet) across. ESA compares its size to that of a cruise liner. With Ramses, ESA intends to study what the inner parts of the asteroid are made of. Apophis will come within 32,000 kilometers of the Earth’s surface. At that close distance, it is expected that Earth’s gravity and tidal forces will alter the physical characteristics of Apophis and expose what lies beneath the asteroid’s surface.
ESA wants the Ramses spacecraft to be close enough to Apophis before and after its flyby with Earth. This will ensure scientists get a good picture of the changes that the asteroid might undergo during the flyby.
NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Apophis Explorer) will also be at Apophis for observations. However, it will only arrive about one month after the asteroid has passed Earth.
Understanding the composition of asteroids like Apophis is critical to planetary defense. Missions like Ramses will prepare humankind to defend against future asteroids that might be on course to collide with Earth. Hera is another such mission and is already in operation.
Ramses, however, is yet to be approved by the ESA’s Ministerial Council. A November 2025 meeting will determine whether it is approved or not. JAXA has also tabled an official funding request to Japan’s Government. If approved, Ramses will have to launch as early as April 2028 to make it to Apophis by February 2029. This will ensure it observes Apophis before it is affected by tidal forces.
