University of Bern involved in mission to study the asteroid Apophis

At its Ministerial Council meeting, the European Space Agency (ESA) has approved the RAMSES mission. The joint mission by ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA will investigate the flyby of the asteroid "Apophis" by Earth in April 2029. The University of Bern is involved in the mission with the camera CHANCES. The camera will take high-resolution images to study possible changes in the composition and properties of Apophis' surface under the influence of Earth's gravitational pull.

On 26 and 27 November 2025, the Council of Ministers of the European Space Agency (ESA) met in Bremen. The 23 member states – including Switzerland – decided on the priorities of European space missions for the coming years and on the implementation of the ESA Strategy 2040. The member states also determined which future ESA programs they will participate in.

At this meeting, it was decided, among other things, that the RAMSES mission (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) of ESA and JAXA will be carried out, in which the asteroid "Apophis" will be examined before, during and after its close flyby of Earth in April 2029. This mission provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of planetary tidal forces on asteroids and to gain essential information for Planetary Defense. For RAMSES, ESA selected the Bernese camera CHANCES (Colour High-resolution Apophis Narrow-angle CamEra System), a high-resolution imager that will observe the shape and surface of the asteroid and characterize possible changes. The decision on the funding and execution of the mission was crucial to meet the tight schedule and launch the mission on time. The mission will launch in April 2028 and arrive in the vicinity of Apophis in February 2029.

Unique opportunity to explore asteroids in more detail

On 13 April 2029, the asteroid Apophis will pass Earth at a distance of just 32,000 kilometers. At this distance, the Earth's gravitational pull will slightly deform the asteroid, influence its rotation and possibly even trigger small debris avalanches, bringing material from its interior to the surface that would otherwise have remained hidden. This extremely rare event offers researchers the opportunity to study the physical properties and potential changes on the surface of the asteroid in detail. The data obtained from the mission will be crucial to improve the mechanisms protecting the planet from asteroid impacts and to better understanding the formation and evolution of these small celestial bodies.

Detailed images of the asteroid thanks to Bernese camera

The University of Bern will make a significant contribution to the RAMSES mission with the development of the CHANCES instrument (Color High-resolution Apophis Narrow-angle CamEra System). "Our instrument will take detailed images of the surface of Apophis and will be able to detect subtle changes caused by the Earth's gravitational pull," explains Antoine Pommerol who is leading the development of CHANCES at the Physics Institute at the University of Bern.

Pommerol continues: "The CHANCES imager will be able to analyze the reflectance of the surface at different wavelengths to determine the mineralogical composition of the surface as well as the physical properties of the rocks and dust exposed on the surface."

Defense of the Earth

The RAMSES mission will not only provide scientific findings but will also contribute important information to respond quickly to potential threats from space. Martin Jutzi from the Physics Institute at the University of Bern says: "The data obtained will help to develop strategies to deflect asteroids and thus ensure the safety of our planet. Apophis' close flyby of Earth provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of Earth's tidal forces on an asteroid."

According to Jutzi, these findings are of central importance in developing concepts for deflecting potentially dangerous asteroids. Jutzi plays a leading role in the DART and Hera missions, both of which have planetary protection from asteroids as their main objective. As part of these projects, Jutzi and his team create numerical simulations – for example of the impact of a space probe into an asteroid – and investigate how the impact could throw the asteroid out of its orbit or change its orbit.

Cutting-edge technology in demand for space missions

The construction of instruments for space missions has a long tradition at the University of Bern. RAMSES is the result of many years of experience and expertise at the University of Bern in the development of instruments for space missions for ESA, NASA and JAXA. "The compact, lightweight yet powerful CHANCES instrument combines earlier developments by the University of Bern – such as CoCA, the main camera of ESA's Comet Interceptor mission, or the Bernese Mars camera CaSSIS, which has been providing high-resolution images of the surface of the Red Planet since 2018 – with very innovative aspects that are tailored to the specific objectives of this mission", says Pommerol.

Numerous industrial and academic partners throughout Switzerland are involved in the project. International partners in France, Canada and Austria are also supplying components that are essential for the operation of CHANCES. "We are delighted that ESA and JAXA are once again relying on cutting-edge technology for the RAMSES mission, which was developed and built in the workshops at the University of Bern's Physics Institute and by local and international partners", concludes Pommerol.

The ESA-JAXA RAMSES mission

In April 2029, the asteroid "Apophis" will pass Earth at a distance of just 32,000 km. This is a unique opportunity for science to study in detail what happens to asteroids that pass so deep into the gravitational field of planets - with important implications both for asteroid research and for questions of "Planetary Defense", the defense of the Earth. With the RAMSES mission (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA will accompany Apophis before, during and after its historic flyby of Earth. RAMSES will be launched in April 2028 and arrive at Apophis in February 2029.

The University of Bern is participating in the mission with the CHANCES (Colour High-resolution Apophis Narrow-angle CamEra System) camera, which will observe the shape and surface of the asteroid and characterize possible changes. The instrument is being developed and built under the direction of Antoine Pommerol and Martin Jutzi together with their team at the Physics Institute of the University of Bern. To analyse the properties of the asteroid surface, CHANCES uses polarization and multispectral capabilities in the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges. CHANCES uses heritage from earlier developments from the University of Bern – such as the Bernese Mars camera CaSSIS, which has been providing high-resolution images of the surface of the Red Planet since 2018.

The RAMSES mission is funded by ESA's Space Safety Programme, in which the Swiss Confederation also participates financially. ESA's Space Safety Programme aims to identify, predict and mitigate space hazards in good time, from natural threats such as asteroids and solar storms to man-made hazards such as space debris.

More information about CHANCES

More information on the RAMSES mission on the ESA website

More information on space safety on the ESA website

Bernese space exploration: With the world’s elite since the first moon landing

When the second man, "Buzz" Aldrin, stepped out of the lunar module on July 21, 1969, the first task he did was to set up the Bernese Solar Wind Composition experiment (SWC) also known as the “solar wind sail” by planting it in the ground of the moon, even before the American flag. This experiment, which was planned, built and the results analyzed by Prof. Dr. Johannes Geiss and his team from the Physics Institute of the University of Bern, was the first great highlight in the history of Bernese space exploration.
Ever since Bernese space exploration has been among the world’s elite, and the University of Bern has been participating in space missions of the major space organizations, such as ESA, NASA, and JAXA. With CHEOPS the University of Bern shares responsibility with ESA for a whole mission. In addition, Bernese researchers are among the world leaders when it comes to models and simulations of the formation and development of planets.
The successful work of the Space Research and Planetary Sciences Division (WP) from the Physics Institute of the University of Bern was consolidated by the foundation of a university competence center, the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH). The Swiss National Fund also awarded the University of Bern the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, which it manages together with the University of Geneva.

2025/12/10