ESA-JAXA Ramses spacecraft core module powers on for first time
European Space Agency · Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) · OHB Italia · ArianeGroup
Ramses asteroid mission's core module was switched on for the first time, starting integrated functional testing.
what happened
ESA and JAXA's Ramses spacecraft had its Core Module powered on for the first time, activating the on-board computer, mass memory unit, power conditioning and distribution unit, and multiple remote terminal units for integrated functional testing. Prime contractor OHB Italia is assembling the Core Module in Milan; ArianeGroup is building the Propulsion Module in Lampoldshausen, Germany. The two modules are due to be mated in spring 2027 ahead of a spring 2028 launch on a Japanese H3 rocket, targeting a rendezvous with asteroid Apophis around its close Earth approach on 13 April 2029.
why it matters
Ramses is one of the fastest-turnaround ESA missions on record, built in under 3.5 years from contract signing to launch specifically to catch Apophis's rare 2029 flyby; the milestone is a data point on whether OHB Italia and ArianeGroup can hold that compressed schedule as European planetary-defence missions increasingly rely on commercial primes.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), OHB Italia, ArianeGroup
- Category
- science
- Impact
- noise
- SNR
- 5 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-09-23
- Published
- 2026-09-23 12:22 UTC