Asteroid Apophis will skim past Earth in 2029, and a new joint mission plans to watch every change

Phys · May 08, 2026 · 726 words · By European Space Agency

Planetary Defense International Cooperation Scientific Discovery

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What to know about Planetary Defense

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have signed agreements to collaborate on planetary defense, specifically the Ramses mission. This mission aims to study the asteroid Apophis during its close flyby of Earth in April 2029 to better understand asteroid behavior and deflection strategies.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Asteroid Apophis will skim past Earth in 2029, and a new joint mission plans to watch every change Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have signed a…

Why it matters

The agreements were signed on 7 May by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa at the Embassy of Italy in Berlin, Germany, in the presence of European and Japanese institutional and industrial leadership.

Common ground

The event was hosted in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), in light of ESA's selection of OHB Italia as prime contractor for the Ramses mission.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Planetary Defense story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that ongoing collaboration on ESA-JAXA space missions such as EarthCARE and BepiColombo?
How does this story connect Planetary Defense with International Cooperation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-asteroid-apophis-skim-earth-joint.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 60% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “ongoing collaboration on ESA-JAXA space missions such as EarthCARE and BepiColombo”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “the flyby is extraordinarily rare, occurring only once every 5,000 to 10,000 years for an object of this size”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm the specific frequency of such a flyby (once every 5,000 to 10,000 years).

help

Claim 3: “Visible in the night sky to the naked eye for up to 2 billion people on Earth”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm the claim that it will be visible to the naked eye for 2 billion people.

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Claim 4: “The agreements were signed on 7 May by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa at the Embassy of Italy in Berlin, Germany”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the general cooperation and the roles of Josef Aschbacher and Hiroshi Yamakawa are verified, the specific date (May 7) and location (Embassy of Italy in Berlin) are not explicitly corroborated by the provided evidence snippets, though they are consistent with the context of the other claims.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The director general of the European Space Agency is the highest-ranked official of the European Space Agency (ESA), a space agency formed by the collaboration of prominent European nations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director_General_of_the_Europe…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Josef Aschbacher is Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), a position he has held since 1 March 2021. His international career in space combines more than 35 years' of experience at ESA,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Aschbacher

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — L4 is a proposed mission to Enceladus by the European Space Agency (ESA). If approved, it is expected to be launched in the early 2040s. The mission will consist of an orbiter and a lander. Since 2024…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L4_(spacecraft)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “ESA's selection of OHB Italia as prime contractor for the Ramses mission”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that OHB Italia is acting as the Prime Contractor for the Ramses mission.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IRIDE (Italian: Iniziativi di Resilienza per l'Italia Dalle Emergenze, Initiatives for Italy's Resilience from Emergencies) is an Italian Earth observation satellite programme developed under the Nati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRIDE

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ramses (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) is a future European-Japanese planetary defense mission to the near-Earth asteroid (99942) Apophis, led by the European Space Agency (ESA). It is expect…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramses_(spacecraft)

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web search NEUTRAL — OHB Italia, acting as Prime Contractor with the support of OHB System and GMV, is leading the implementation of the mission, which features a significant Italian industrial and scientific contribution…
https://www.ohb-italia.it/ohb-italia-and-esa-sign-the-contra…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “a dedicated agreement for collaboration on the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) to the near-Earth asteroid Apophis”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and ESA's own reports, confirm the collaboration on the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) to the asteroid Apophis.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Patrick Michel (born 25 February 1970 in Saint-Tropez, France) is a French planetary scientist, Senior Researcher Exceptionnal Class at CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Project Sci…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Michel

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Phobos () is the innermost and larger of the two natural satellites of Mars, the other being Deimos. The two moons were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. Phobos is named after the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobos_(moon)

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to deepen collaboration in planetary defense”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results from ESA and other sources confirm that ESA and JAXA signed a cooperation agreement/pact to deepen collaboration in planetary defense.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Space Agency (ESA), pronounced 'ee-sah', is a 23-member international organisation devoted to space exploration. It has its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 3,000 people global…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station in low Earth orbit (LEO). It is the product of the International Space Station program and is operated by five partner space agencies: NASA (Un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The politics of the International Space Station have been affected by superpower rivalries, international treaties, and funding arrangements. The space station has an international crew, with the use …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_International_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Ramses will launch in 2028 and rendezvous with the asteroid (99942) Apophis ahead of its exceptionally rare, close flyby of Earth in April 2029”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia and other web sources confirm the Ramses launch window in 2028 and the rendezvous with Apophis before the April 2029 flyby.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ramses (R apid A pophis M ission for S pace S afety) is a future European-Japanese planetary defense mission to the near-Earth asteroid (99942) Apophis, led by the European Space Agency (ESA). It is e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramses_(spacecraft)

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web search NEUTRAL — In partnership with JAXA, it will launch with the JAXA DESTINY+ mission with a japanese H3 launcher in the period mid April-mid May 2028, to reach Apophis in February 2029.
https://www.ramsesmission.space/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ramses will launch in 2028 and rendezvous with the asteroid (99942) Apophis ahead of its exceptionally rare, close flyby of Earth in April 2029. Roughly 375 metres across, Apophis will pass just 32 00…
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/ESA_and_J…

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Claim 9: “a joint statement from November 2024, in which ESA and JAXA committed to expanding large-scale cooperation, including on planetary defense”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm a joint statement was signed in November 2024 regarding 'Next Big Cooperations', including planetary defense.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the year 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_spaceflight

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) (国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, Kokuritsu-kenkyū-kaihatsu-hōjin Uchū Kōkū Kenkyū Kaihatsu Kikō; lit. 'National Research and Development Agency Aerospace Research and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAXA

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX) (also called Chandrayaan-5) is a planned joint lunar mission by ISRO and JAXA. The mission would send an uncrewed lunar lander and rover to explore the sout…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Polar_Exploration_Missio…

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 10: “ESA oversees the Ramses mission's spacecraft design, integration, and operations”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “JAXA will provide key elements, including the spacecraft's lightweight solar arrays, an infrared imager, and launch aboard its H3 rocket”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “The agency's Hera planetary defense mission, for example, on which JAXA is an important partner, will arrive later this year at the Didymos binary asteroid system”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from NASA and ESA confirm the Hera mission's objective to arrive at the Didymos binary asteroid system, with JAXA as a partner.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The mission is scheduled to launch in late 2026 on Japan’s H-3 rocket, arrive at Mars roughly a year later, and return samples to Earth in 2031.Hera Arrives at Didymos. ESA's asteroid inspector reache…
https://keeptrack.space/deep-dive/upcoming-missions-after-ar…

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web search NEUTRAL — Hera is scheduled to arrive at the Didymos/Dimorphos binary asteroid system at the end of 2026, where it will gather otherwise unobtainable data about the mass and makeup of both bodies and assess the…
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-participating-sci…

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web search NEUTRAL — “This is the Hera mission’s largest manoeuvre in terms of fuel consumption, and we used it to test all of the systems that we will need during the braking and rendezvous manoeuvres later this year as …
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera/Hera_on_course_for_ast…

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Claim 13: “Roughly 375 meters across, Apophis will pass just 32,000 km above Earth's surface on Friday 13 April 2029”

CORROBORATED

NASA Science and other sources confirm the flyby date of April 13, 2029, and the distance of approximately 32,000 km. The size (375m) is cited in multiple sources, although Wikipedia notes a slightly different range (450m x 170m), 375m is a commonly cited average/approximate width.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 99942 Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid and a potentially hazardous object, 450 metres by 170 metres in size. During a brief period of concern in December 2004, initial observations indicated a probabi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis

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web search NEUTRAL — Asteroid Apophis will safely pass close to Earth on April 13, 2029.It will come about 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) from our planet’s surface — closer than the distance of many satellites in geosyn…
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/apophis/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A 375 metre wide asteroid will safely pass Earth at a distance of less than 32,000 kilometres. An asteroid this large passes this close to Earth once every roughly 7000 years and the European Space Ag…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/harivignesh-govindaraj-784522…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.