The Ramses program has been given the green light to begin preparatory work on its next planetary defense mission, called “Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety“(Ramses). The mission plans to encounter the asteroid 99942 Apophis and monitor it during its close approach to Earth scheduled for April 13, 2029.
With a Approximately 375 meters in diameter, Apophis will approach within about 32,000 km of Earth’s surface and will be visible to the naked eye by about two billion people. There are currently no indicators that suggest a risk of collision with Earth for the next 100 years.
The Ramses mission, in April 2028, will have the task of observing how Earth’s gravity will affect the physical characteristics of Apophis. Scientists will thus be able to improve defense techniques against potential asteroids on a collision course with Earth. ESA will use its scientific instruments to assess the shape, surface, orbit and rotation of the asteroid both before and after the close flyby. The data collected will be essential to develop new scientific theories on the formation of the solar system and to improve strategies for deflecting dangerous asteroids.
Also there NASA will participate in the observation of Apophis with the OSIRIS-APEX mission, which will arrive at the asteroid shortly after its Earth flyby.providing additional scientific data. International collaboration demonstrates the importance of a coordinated response to space threats.
Patrick Michel, Director of Research at the National Center for Scientific Research CNRS at the Côte d’Azur Observatory in Nice, comments: “There is still so much to learn about asteroids but, until now, we have had to travel deep into the solar system to study them and perform experiments ourselves to interact with their surfaces.. For the first time ever, nature is bringing us one, and even running the experiment itself. All we have to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and crushed by strong tidal forces that can trigger landslides and other disturbances, revealing new materials hidden beneath the surface.”
International collaboration between NASA’s DART Asteroid Impactor and ESA’s Hera Asteroid Detective is demonstrating that, in principle, humanity can redirect an asteroid if necessary. But to respond to a real threat, humanity must be able to rapidly build and deploy a response.
Richard Moissl, head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, explains: “Ramses will demonstrate that humanity can deploy a reconnaissance mission to encounter an incoming asteroid within a few years. This type of mission is one of the cornerstones of humanity’s response to a dangerous asteroid. First, a reconnaissance mission would be launched to analyze the orbit and structure of the incoming asteroid. The results would be used to determine how best to redirect the asteroid or rule out non-impacts before a costly deflection mission is developed.“
Paolo Martino, leader of ESA’s Ramses effortadds: “The Ramses mission concept reuses much of the technology, expertise and industrial and scientific communities developed for the Hera mission. Hera has demonstrated how ESA and European industry can meet stringent deadlines and Ramses will follow suit.
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Credits ESA – Apophis Orbit Deviated by Earth’s Gravity – NEO Toolkit
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