Ramses CubeSat 'Farinella' contract signature

On 10 February 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract with Italy's Tyvak International worth €8.2 million for the construction of one of the two CubeSats that will be deployed by ESA's Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) mission at the asteroid Apophis. The CubeSat is named Farinella after the Italian planetary scientist Paolo Farinella. The contract builds on an earlier contract worth €4.7 million awarded for preparatory work last year.

“We are excited to take on the challenge of delivering a small spacecraft that can make a big contribution to the study of the asteroid Apophis during its historic close Earth flyby,” said Fabio Nichele, CEO of Tyvak International. “This mission highlights the strength of European industrial collaboration and underscores how innovative small satellites can play a key role in advancing planetary science and safeguarding our planet.”

From left to right: Margherita Cardi (Head of Programmes, Tyvak International), Fabio Nichele (CEO of Tyvak International), Orson Sutherland (Mars & Beyond Projects Group Leader at ESA), Paolo Martino (Ramses Mission Manager at ESA).