07/05/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 7 May, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) signed a memorandum of cooperation to deepen their collaboration on planetary defence, as well as a specific agreement for the Ramses (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) mission to the Apophis asteroid, to be launched in 2028. In November 2024, ESA and JAXA pledged to develop their cooperation on a large scale, particularly in the field of planetary defence (see EUROPE 13529/24). As a field of applied scientific research, planetary defence brings the international community together to detect and characterise near-Earth objects at an early stage, track their trajectories, assess the risk of impact and develop mitigation strategies if necessary, ESA said in its press release. ESA is overseeing the design, integration and operations of the Ramses spacecraft. JAXA will supply components for the spacecraft and launch it aboard its H3 rocket. (CG)