ESA signs €63M contract with OHB Italia to start Ramses before full funding, to reach Apophis in time

European Space Agency/Ramses

ESA and OHB Italia signed a €63 million contract at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan to start buying long-lead parts and finish Ramses's design. Work had to begin before member states voted on full funding in 2025, because the spacecraft must launch in early 2028 to meet Apophis before its 2029 flyby.

• Signed by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and OHB Italia's Roberto Aceti.
• Apophis, about 375 m wide, passes within 32,000 km of Earth on 13 April 2029.
• Ramses is an adaptation of Hera, ESA's first asteroid mission.