RAMSES successfully completes critical design review

The RAMSES mission, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with JAXA, has successfully completed its critical design review (CDR), marking a major milestone in the program. The campaign took place over several weeks in January and February, during which the review board conducted a rigorous and comprehensive assessment, concluding that all objectives had been fully achieved.

The CDR confirmed that the detailed design of the RAMSES spacecraft complies with all technical, scientific, and programmatic requirements. This shows that the system architecture, development approach, and implementation schedule are all aligned with the mission’s objectives, marking a significant accomplishment for the integrated teams from ESA, OHB Italia S.p.A., OHB SE, and GMV.

With this milestone, the project has passed the midpoint of its development and is now entering the final phase of implementation and integration of all technological elements. This stage will continue until the test readiness review (TRR), at which point the system will be ready for full testing.

The RAMSES mission is designed to rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis, whose close approach to Earth in 2029 represents a unique opportunity to advance planetary defense capabilities. The mission will enable detailed observation of how an asteroid responds to Earth’s gravitational influence, providing critical data to inform future risk mitigation strategies.

GMV’s strategic role involves developing the guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems for the main spacecraft and one of its two CubeSats, contributing its extensive expertise in this area – one of the company’s core specializations for planetary defense missions.

RAMSES’ GNC builds on previous GMV developments for the Hera mission, while incorporating a new operational phase known as “hovering,” which will be essential for carrying out the planned observations of Apophis with the required level of precision. Following the successful completion of the CDR, RAMSES is moving decisively forward on its path toward Apophis, reinforcing Europe’s capabilities in planetary defense.