BERLIN – The European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan’s JAXA signed agreements on Tuesday to deepen cooperation in planetary defence, including a joint mission to study the near-Earth asteroid Apophis.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and a dedicated Ramses mission agreement at the Italian Embassy in Berlin, in the presence of European and Japanese officials. The event was hosted by Italy’s space agency ASI, after ESA selected OHB Italia as prime contractor for Ramses.

“Planetary defence is, by definition, a global responsibility,” Aschbacher said. “With today’s signatures, ESA and JAXA are moving decisively from shared intention to concrete implementation.” Yamakawa added that the cooperation would “advance international efforts in this field.”

The Ramses mission – Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety – will launch in 2028 and rendezvous with Apophis ahead of its close Earth flyby in April 2029. The 375-metre asteroid will pass just 32,000 km above Earth’s surface, closer than geosynchronous satellites, though scientists say there is no risk of impact.

Visible to up to two billion people, the flyby will allow Ramses to observe how Earth’s gravity alters Apophis’s shape and motion, offering rare insights into asteroid behaviour. ESA will lead spacecraft design and operations, while JAXA contributes solar arrays, an infrared imager, and launch aboard its H3 rocket.