Trade-off study for a possible Swiss scientific imager on ESA’s RAMSES mission to Apophis

• Unité de recherche: SEFRI
• Numéro de projet: P2024-UniBE RAMSES

Mots-clé (Anglais)

Universität Bern Antoine Pommerol Nick Thomas RAMSES SEFRI SBFI SERI SSO

Description succincte (Anglais)

ESA is preparing the RAMSES mission to rendez-vous and accompany asteroid 99942 Apophis throughout its very close Earth flyby in April 2029. One of the main objectives of RAMSES will be to provide detailed images of the asteroid’s surface and to detect and analyze possible changes during the flyby. This requires a capable scientific imager with high resolution, sensitivity and stability. This project aims at determining the best option for our group at UniBE to provide such an instrument for this mission. Purchasing off-the-shelf components from local industries and integrating them at UniBE or reusing parts from previous developments all offer different advantages and drawbacks. A short preparatory trade-off study is necessary to assess the feasibility and rank different options in terms of their scientific merit according to mission objectives, their expected cost and schedule as well as their strategic interest for the institute. This would then allow the institute and the agencies to take a fully informed decision on the best approach to follow to prepare the best possible instrument given the tight schedule of the mission.

Objectifs du projet (Anglais)

The objective of this project is to evaluate and compare different options to build and deliver a scientific imager for the RAMSES mission concept currently under study by ESA. The different technical solutions will be compared in terms of their scientific merit according to the mission goals, feasibility, cost, schedule and long-term strategy. If adopted, RAMSES would launch in April-May 2028 to reach asteroid 99942 Apophis in February 2029, 2 months ahead of its close Earth flyby (minimum distance: 32’000 km on April 13, 2029). The mission will provide a unique opportunity to study the 375-m sized asteroid passing at such a short distance and identify possible changes at the surface resulting from gravitational interactions with the Earth. A powerful scientific imager will be key to characterize the surface and to detect and analyze changes caused by tidal effects, which might be very subtle.