Upcoming ESA Asteroid and Remote Sensing Missions

Redwire Readies Flight Systems Upcoming ESA Asteroid and Remote Sensing Missions

2026-05-08 From Redwire Corporation 2 min Reading Time

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Redwire reaches key milestones for flight computers supporting two ESA missions.

Redwire has successfully completed production milestones for two flight computers being developed for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) and Genesis missions. Through contracts with OHB Italy, Redwire is responsible for the delivery of the onboard computer for both of these ESA missions. The flight computer system will serve a critical role as the “brain” of the spacecraft, governing spacecraft control, data handling, and crucial communications with Earth.

Ramses

Ramses is a planetary defense mission that will rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis before it approaches Earth, conducting in-depth observations of the near-Earth asteroid. Using a suite of scientific instruments, Ramses will conduct a thorough before-and-after survey of the asteroid’s shape, surface, orbit, rotation and orientation.

The onboard computer will control all vital spacecraft operations, including power, navigation, and communication with Earth, while also playing a crucial role in major mission milestones, such as the deployment and monitoring of ESA’s two CubeSats and the spacecraft’s rendezvous with Apophis. The onboard computer for the Ramses spacecraft is currently undergoing an environmental test campaign as its final step before delivery.

Genesis

Genesis is an ESA navigation mission to measure Earth down to the millimeter. Genesis will improve the precision and stability of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), the foundation of satellite navigation and Earth science. Genesis will co-locate the four earth-measuring techniques (satellite navigation, very-long-baseline interferometry, satellite laser ranging and DORIS) onboard one satellite.

The onboard computer will be critical to the high level of precision necessary for the mission, enabling real-time data processing and synchronization, precise timing control, and integrating data from different sensors in real time. The onboard computer for Genesis is beginning production following a successful manufacturing readiness review.

The onboard computers for Ramses and Genesis, developed by Redwire’s team in Belgium, are part of Redwire’s third generation Advanced Data and Power Management System (ADPMS-3) avionics suite and designed to meet the demanding performance, reliability, and redundancy requirements of complex space missions, from low Earth orbit to deep space.

The onboard computer for the Ramses spacecraft is currently undergoing an environmental test campaign as its final step before delivery.(Source: Redwire) — The onboard computer for the Ramses spacecraft is currently undergoing an environmental test campaign as its final step before delivery.
(Source: Redwire)

Redwire is a European leader in avionics systems, having delivered onboard computers for a number of successful ESA missions like Hera, Comet Interceptor and Proba-3. Learn how Redwire’s onboard computer is supporting the Comet Interceptor mission here: Redwire Successfully Delivers Onboard Computer for ESA’s Comet Interceptor Mission to Study Pristine Comet | Redwire

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