Japanese Asteroid Mission: Sample Return and Hopper

MASCOT – the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout – will be bound for asteroid JU 3 in 2014 courtesy of Japan’s Hayabusa-2 mission. Four years later, on arrival at the space rock, MASCOT will free-fall onto the asteroid’s surface, automatically orient itself, then “hop” from one spot to the next. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and [...]

Asteroid "hopper" is being readied for Japanese mission. Credit: DLR
MASCOT – the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout – will be bound for asteroid JU 3 in 2014 courtesy of Japan’s Hayabusa-2 mission. Four years later, on arrival at the space rock, MASCOT will free-fall onto the asteroid’s surface, automatically orient itself, then “hop” from one spot to the next.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) signed a memorandum of understanding on October 1st at the International Astronautical Congress in Naples.
The MASCOT asteroid lander is being developed by DLR in collaboration with French space agency (CNES) and JAXA.
Upon arrival at 1999 JU 3 in 2018, the Japanese Hayabusa-2 spacecraft will first make a close approach to the asteroid and take measurements of the body’s surface from there.
Suction science
Following an initial cartographical phase, the MASCOT ...