Credit: ESA Science Office
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded OHB Italia a €81.2 million contract for the construction, assembly, and testing phase of the agency’s Ramses mission, which will study the asteroid Apophis during its close encounter with Earth. The agency also announced that it had successfully concluded the mission’s Critical Design Review “in record time.”
In early 2029, Apophis will pass within 32,000 kilometres of Earth’s surface, closer than geostationary satellites orbiting the planet. ESA hopes to take advantage of this rare opportunity with its Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) probe, which will study the asteroid’s composition and how it reacts to Earth’s gravitational pull. The probe is currently expected to be launched in spring 2028 to enable it to rendezvous with the asteroid before its close approach.
On 17 October, ESA announced that it had awarded a €63 million contract to OHB Italia for the mission’s consolidation and early implementation phases. This funding came from existing allocations, with a final decision on whether to proceed with the mission and approve the remaining funds required for its development due to be taken at ESA’s Ministerial Council meeting in November 2025 (CM25).
With its 10 February 2026 announcement that the agency had awarded OHB Italia a €81.2 million contract for the mission’s construction, assembly, and testing phase, it is clear that the necessary funding was secured at CM25, allowing the mission to move into full development.
“With Ramses, ESA is seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study asteroid Apophis as it swings past Earth, deepening our understanding of near-Earth objects and advancing our capabilities to protect our planet,” said ESA Mars & Beyond Projects Group Leader Orson Sutherland.
As part of the 10 February contract announcement, the agency revealed that an ESA review board had successfully concluded the mission’s Critical Design Review, ensuring that it meets all technical, scientific, and programmatic requirements.
“Passing the Critical Design Review in record time gives us full confidence that Ramses’ design is mature, robust, and ready to be built,” said Ramses mission manager, Paolo Martino. “Successfully maintaining the mission’s accelerated pace is an endorsement of the team’s commitment and engineering vision under a very demanding schedule.”
Although the Ramses mission is led by ESA, Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has agreed to contribute to it. According to ESA, JAXA will provide several components, including a solar array and a thermal infrared imager. The mission may also be launched as a rideshare with Japan’s Destiny+ mission aboard a Japanese H3 rocket.
The CubeSats
In addition to the main spacecraft being developed by OHB Italia, the mission will also include two CubeSats. Italy’s Tyvak International received a €4.7 million contract in March 2025, and Spain’s Emxys received a €1.5 million contract in May 2025 to begin preparatory work on the two CubeSats. On 10 February, ESA awarded Tyvak International a €8.2 million follow-on contract to complete construction and testing of its CubeSat. The announcement, however, did not include any information about a second contract for Emxys.
Keep European Spaceflight Independent
Your donation will help European Spaceflight to continue digging into the stories others miss. Every euro keeps our reporting alive.