First CubeSat Joins ESA's Ramses Mission to Asteroid Apophis
Small Satellites Will Maximize the Scientific Return of a Rare Natural Phenomenon
The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected the first of two CubeSats to fly onboard its proposed Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). If approved, Ramses will rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis before it passes exceptionally close to Earth on 13 April 2029.
"(T)his CubeSat will bring onboard the Ramses mission trusted European industrial and research partners that have demonstrated their ability to deliver high-quality mission elements under a tight deadline.”
Fabio Nichele, Tyvak International
The Ramses spacecraft will deploy two smaller CubeSats at the asteroid to maximize the scientific return of this rare natural phenomenon.
ESA’s first planetary defence mission, Hera, launched in October 2024. ESA's Ramses mission will leverage much of the technology developed for Hera. The mission’s first CubeSat will be a hybrid that combines the platform and dust analyzer of Milani with the low-frequency radar instrument of Juventas, the two CubeSats deployed during the Hera mission.
The dust analyzer will examine the material that could be released from the surface of Apophis by phenomena such as landslides, while the radar instrument will enable a detailed investigation of Apophis’ internal structure.
While Apophis poses no danger, these investigations would allow scientists to practice techniques that humankind could use to determine the structure of a hazardous asteroid, and assess how best to knock it off a collision course with Earth.
"When Apophis passes Earth in April 2029, it will capture the attention of the entire world," said Ramses project manager, Paolo Martino. "With Ramses, we could put Europe in a front row seat: we could be the ones delivering the close-up images of Apophis and leading global efforts to harness this truly historic opportunity for space exploration, asteroid science and planetary defence.”
Tyvak International will draw on their experience overseeing the development of Hera’s Milani CubeSat to lead a consortium of companies from a number of ESA Member States. The project has been awarded nearly $5.1 million of the funding allocated to Ramses mission preparations in July 2024. “By utilizing existing technologies, this CubeSat will bring onboard the Ramses mission trusted European industrial and research partners that have demonstrated their ability to deliver high-quality mission elements under a tight deadline,” says Fabio Nichele, CEO at Tyvak International.
“Our commitment to undertake and exceed advanced space mission challenges, and flawlessly deliver miniaturized space system technologies, is pushing the boundaries of the European planetary defence to unrivalled excellence. We are thrilled to honor the trust of the Agency in such a complex and historical journey.”
Relying on proven technology for the first Ramses CubeSat has enabled the team to explore exciting new possibilities for the second. The Ramses team is currently considering whether the mission’s second CubeSat could instead be a lander that would touch down on Apophis. The lander’s surface instruments could open up a new valuable dimension to the mission’s scientific capabilities.
