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Ramses

by European Space AgencyFR

Study how a 375 m asteroid reacts when Earth's gravity squeezes it during a once-in-thousands-of-years close pass, knowledge needed to deflect a dangerous asteroid one day.

ProtoStage 2 of 5

Passed critical design review in Feb 2026; OHB Italia building it for a spring 2028 launch.

Updated 10 Feb 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Build, assemble and test the spacecraft
  1. Member states release funds for preparatory workJul 2024Complete.
  2. €63M preparatory contract with OHB Italia17 Oct 2024Complete.
  3. Critical design review completed6 Feb 2026Complete.
  4. €81.2M build-and-test contract signed10 Feb 2026Complete.
  5. Build, assemble and test the spacecraftTarget 2027Current milestone.
  6. LaunchTarget Q2 2028Not yet reached.
  7. Arrive at ApophisTarget Feb 2029Not yet reached.
  8. Apophis passes 32,000 km from EarthTarget 13 Apr 2029Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

  1. 2027Build, assemble and test the spacecraft (next)
  2. Q2 2028Launch
  3. Feb 2029Arrive at Apophis
  4. 13 Apr 2029Apophis passes 32,000 km from Earth
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