RAMSES mission: RPS and MARIE to investigate asteroid Apophis' passage through Earth's magnetosphere

The RAMSES space probe is a replica of ESA's Hera mission, with minor modifications to the spacecraft and some new instruments. Like Hera, RAMSES will also deploy two small satellites: the CubeSats 'Farinella' and 'Don Quijote'.

There are new updates on the #RamsesMission website about ESA sending the spacecraft to #Apophis in 2029: https://www.ramsesmission.space/ .

(Officially "Ramses" is an acronym. In practice, nobody ever spells it out.)

RAMSES Mission

RAMSES Mission

Discussion of the #RAMSESmission proposal from ESA to rendezvous with #Apophis before the 2029 flyby; for which a decision needs to be made soon.

Operations plan notes that orbiting the asteroid would be impossible during the flyby.

(Again, the #OSIRISAPEx mission from NASA will catch up with Apophis only after the flyby; but even then it will mostly formation-fly and make hyperbolic passes rather than orbiting.)