21/11/2024 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 20 November, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed an agreement with its Japanese counterpart (JAXA) to strengthen their collaboration. These include ESA’s Ramses mission to the Apophis asteroid, which will pass close to Earth in 2029, the Gateway programme to create a manned space station in orbit around the Moon, and lunar exploration, including each agency’s contribution to the Artemis programme - ESA’s Argonaut lunar cargo lander and JAXA’s pressurised lunar rover. The agreement also advances discussions on a possible collaborative mission to Mars. Finally, the two agencies have pledged to continue working together in the field of space science, in particular on the ESA-led New Athena X-ray telescope for high-energy astrophysics, scheduled for launch in 2037. (CG)