BR6 | EPSC-DPS2025 Press Briefing: Update on the RAMSES mission to asteroid Apophis

BR6

EPSC-DPS2025 Press Briefing: Update on the RAMSES mission to asteroid Apophis

Convener: Anita Heward

MON-PB1 |

Mon, 08 Sep, 16:30–17:15 (EEST)

Press conference room

Vimeo: BR6 – Briefing Monday, 8 September 2025

ESA’s Space Safety programme has started preparatory work for its next planetary defence candidate mission – the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES). Its main objective is the characterisation of the asteroid (99942) Apophis before, during and after its close encounter with Earth in April 2029. The findings will provide crucial knowledge on the properties and response of a small asteroid to external actions (here, Earth’s tidal forces), and therefore improve our ability to defend our planet from any similar object found to be on a collision course in the future. The briefing will give an update on the mission goals, payload, development and international participation. Europe’s space ministers will decide at ESA’s Ministerial Council in November 2025 whether to support RAMSES for launch.

16:30 EEST: Welcome

Anita Heward, Press Officer, EPSC-DPS2025.

16:35 EEST: Speakers

Monica Lazzarin (University of Padova) and Patrick Michel (CNRS / Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur): RAMSES science and payloads.
Paolo Martino (RAMSES Project Manager, ESA): RAMSES project status.
Seiji Sugita (University of Tokyo and Science Management Board of RAMSES): Japanese participation in RAMSES.

Session assets

Session materials