Europe is preparing for the asteroid Apophis, which will pass so close to Earth in the spring of 2029 that it will be visible to the naked eye. The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded the contract for the development of the RAMSES (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) probe to OHB Italia, a subsidiary of the aerospace and technology group OHB. The recently signed contract is worth EUR 81.2 million and marks the start of the construction, integration, and testing phase of the space probe. Together with the preliminary contract signed back in 2024, the total contract value rises to approximately EUR 150 million.
“RAMSES must launch in 2028 in order to reach the asteroid Apophis about two months before its flyby of Earth. With HERA, we have already proven together with ESA that we can be fast—which makes me all the more pleased that we can now deploy the Hera-Heritage so quickly again,” says OHB CEO Marco Fuchs, who was present at the launch of the Hera spacecraft and has been following the journey to the asteroid ever since. “Hera has completed all maneuvers with flying colors so far, and we are very excited about its arrival at its destination at the end of the year.”
Built on Hera – OHB’s heritage for asteroid missions
RAMSES is based on the ESA’s Hera mission, which is currently en route to the Didymos/Dimorphus binary asteroid system and was developed and built by OHB System AG. Hera was completed in 2024 in just four years—about half the time typically required for missions of this complexity.
RAMSES is breaking this record once again: the probe must be developed, built, and tested in just 3.5 years. This is only possible thanks to the extensive Hera legacy and the reuse of numerous technologies, which are being adapted to meet the mission’s demanding objectives.
Why the RAMSES mission is significant
Apophis will pass by Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029, at a distance of just 32,000 kilometers—closer than, for example, the MTG weather satellites, which monitor our planet from a distance of 36,000 kilometers. The RAMSES mission is designed to conduct optical and gravitational measurements of the 375-meter-wide asteroid before, during, and after the flyby. Two onboard CubeSats, including a lander, will determine the gravitational field and perform seismic measurements on the surface.
“With RAMSES and HERA, we are maintaining our leading position in the field of planetary defense. Protecting Earth from external threats is a top priority at OHB; in addition to these two asteroid probes, we are also involved in asteroid observation through the Flyeye telescope,” said Marco Fuchs.
The data and insights from the mission will help to more accurately assess future threats from near-Earth asteroids and plan effective deflection maneuvers. With RAMSES, Europe is strengthening its capabilities in the field of planetary security—and the OHB Group is once again demonstrating its leading role in the rapid, reliable construction of sophisticated asteroid missions.
For more information, visit the ESA website (in English)here.
