Soon will be the historic time to rendezvous Apophis with the RAMSES spacecraft!
(image credit OHB Italy)
Ramses Objectives
To arrive at Apophis in February 2029 before its closest approach to Earth on Friday April 23, 2029.
To conduct measurements of the asteroid's properties that inform planetary defence before, during and after the Earth flyby and study its response to the close encounter with our planet.
To deploy two smaller CubeSats, one of them being planed to land and perform the first seismic measurements on an asteroid as well as measure the gravity field, the other orbiting to probe the internal properties of Apophis and detect and analyse dust.
Apophis will safely pass the Earth on 13 April 2029.