By Kantaro Komiya

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will join a European project to observe the Apophis asteroid when it passes close to the Earth by providing the H3 rocket as a launch vehicle, a Japanese space agency official said on Friday.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will join the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Ramses mission to observe Apophis, which makes a close encounter with the Earth in 2029, JAXA Vice President Masaki Fujimoto said.

NASA, U.S. space agency, had planned a separate OSIRIS-APEX mission to rendezvous with Apophis in 2029, but the fate of the mission is uncertain because of potential U.S. budget cuts.

“Under the circumstances, JAXA must increasingly support Ramses to study Apophis through Japan-Europe collaboration, on behalf of humanity worldwide,” Fujimot

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