Ramses Asteroid Probe Powers On for the First Time Ahead of Apophis’ Friday the 13th Flyby
Nature World News | 03.10.2026 00:00
The spacecraft Europe is building to meet asteroid Apophis during its rare close pass by Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029, has been switched on for the first time. The European Space Agency said on Sept. 23 that engineers at prime contractor OHB Italia powered up the spacecraft's On-Board Computer together with its integrated subsystems, according to ESA's announcement of the first switch-on. The agency called it a major milestone in a time-critical schedule for the mission, which ESA is carrying out with Japan's space agency.
