Ramses (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) is an ESA-led mission with JAXA participation to study asteroid Apophis around its close Earth passage on 13 April 2029. The spacecraft is intended to arrive before the encounter and compare the asteroid's shape, surface, rotation and orbit before and after Earth's tidal forces act on it. The measurements will constrain asteroid structure and help planetary-defence planning. ESA committed to the mission in November 2025; its April 2028 launch target supports arrival in February 2029. NASA's separate OSIRIS-APEX mission is expected to arrive after the Earth encounter.
Schedule, status, and mission updates. Time-based alerts will start when a time is available.
Ramses (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) is an ESA-led mission with JAXA participation to study asteroid Apophis around its close Earth passage on 13 April 2029. The spacecraft is intended to arrive before the encounter and compare the asteroid's shape, surface, rotation and orbit before and after Earth's tidal forces act on it. The measurements will constrain asteroid structure and help planetary-defence planning. ESA committed to the mission in November 2025; its April 2028 launch target supports arrival in February 2029. NASA's separate OSIRIS-APEX mission is expected to arrive after the Earth encounter.
Schedule, status, and mission updates. Time-based alerts will start when a time is available.