Japan to Collaborate on ESA Mission to Asteroid Apophis

In a significant development for space exploration, Japan's aerospace agency has expressed interest in participating in a European Space Agency (ESA) mission aimed at studying the asteroid Apophis during its close approach to Earth. Scheduled to pass within approximately 32,000 kilometers of our planet, this event is expected to occur in just four years.

The ESA has announced that Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will contribute solar panels, an infrared camera, and launch capabilities for the mission named Ramses (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety). A formal request has been submitted to the Japanese government to secure their involvement. Although the final decision on the Ramses mission will be made at the ESA ministerial council in November, preliminary preparations are already underway due to the approaching timeline.

Apophis, a 400-meter-wide asteroid, was discovered in 2004 and is named after a prominent antagonist from the popular television series Stargate SG-1. Initial assessments indicated a 2.7 percent chance of a collision with Earth in 2029, which garnered significant media attention. However, further observations have since eliminated the risk of impact for that year, as well as for subsequent close passes in 2036 and 2069. The challenges in forecasting Apophis's trajectory stemmed from uncertainties regarding how gravitational interactions during its approach would influence its path.

With the threat of collision officially ruled out, scientific interest in Apophis has surged. The ESA emphasizes that the asteroid's upcoming close flyby presents a rare opportunity for research, akin to an event that occurs once every thousand years. The Ramses mission aims to monitor Apophis as it approaches Earth, providing critical data on how its trajectory may be altered by gravitational forces.

To facilitate this endeavor, the Ramses spacecraft must launch by 2028, necessitating that preparations begin now, even as final approval remains pending. The mission will observe Apophis before, during, and after its close approach, allowing scientists to study the asteroid's response to Earth's gravity.

Should Ramses receive approval, it will not be the sole spacecraft targeting Apophis. NASA's Osiris-Apex mission, which was reconfigured from the Osiris-Rex program that collected samples from the asteroid Bennu, is also en route to Apophis. However, Osiris-Apex will only arrive at its destination about a month after the asteroid's closest approach to Earth, limiting its observational capabilities. Thus, the Ramses mission is particularly crucial for capturing data at the moment of closest approach.

The collaboration between Japan and ESA highlights the importance of international partnerships in advancing our understanding of near-Earth objects. As preparations for the Ramses mission continue, scientists around the world eagerly anticipate the wealth of information that will be gathered during this unprecedented close encounter with Apophis.