The European-led mission to the asteroid Apophis is proceeding as planned, anticipating crucial funding decisions from Europe and Japan in the coming months. The European Space Agency (ESA) allocated approximately €70 million ($82 million) last year for preparatory work on the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). This funding ensured the project remained on schedule even before receiving formal mission approval. The ESA's ministerial conference in late November in Bremen, Germany, will determine the mission's future funding.
At a September 8th briefing during the EPSC-DPS planetary science conference in Helsinki, Finland, project officials expressed confidence. “Up to now, we are fully in line with the planning,” stated Paolo Martino, Ramses project manager at ESA. “We are hitting every milestone, so we are fully ready to hopefully support a positive decision two months from now.” The team completed a preliminary design review late last year and a critical design review is set for November. Success here would pave the way for spacecraft assembly in 2026, followed by testing in 2027. Launch is targeted for a three-week window in late April/early May 2028, with arrival at Apophis in February 2029, shortly before its Earth flyby.
Ramses builds upon the Hera mission's design and experience. “The Hera mission already set a record in terms of speed, because it was developed in only four years from contract signature to launch,” Martino noted. “In this case, we are raising the bar even further.” While the total cost remains undisclosed, Martino suggested it would be lower than Hera's €363 million. “Ramses is a faster and cheaper version of Hera,” he explained. Collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) further reduces costs. JAXA has requested government funding to contribute an infrared imager, solar arrays, and launch via an H3 rocket. Seiji Sugita, a professor at the University of Tokyo and member of the mission's science management board, downplayed concerns about the recent Japanese prime minister’s resignation, stating that past changes haven't significantly affected JAXA's budget. “I think if things are similar to the last 10 to 20 years in the Japanese political climate, the switchover of the prime minister should not make too much of a change in this level of the budget,” he said.
Ariane 6 serves as a backup launch option. Martino anticipates JAXA's funding approval by the first half of 2024. “The timeline for the procurement of an Ariane is more flexible, so it can take place in the second part” of next year, if necessary, he added. The mission's tight schedule necessitates swift decision-making. Patrick Michel, a participating planetary scientist, emphasized, “Nature chooses for us when it visits us,” “Apophis won’t wait, so we cannot wait for the political mess to be solved.”