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MASCOT - an asteroid lander

The near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, located approximately 300 million kilometres from Earth, has a new inhabitant: On 3 October 2018, the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) landed on the asteroid and began to work. The lander successfully separated from the Japanese Hayabusa2 space probe at 03:58 CEST.

The spacecraft was launched in 2014 and upon arrival in 2018, initially remained in orbit to scout the unknown terrain. A stable, yet extremely light cover will protect the shoe box-sized lander as it falls to the asteroid’s surface. The four instruments designed to conduct in situ measurements on the asteroid are located inside the DLR landing craft:

  1. the infrared spectrometer that will analyse the surface composition
  2. magnetometer to investigate the magnetic field
  3. a wide-angle camera to record the landing site and the fine structure of the soil
  4. a radiometer that will measure surface temperatures, among other things.

During its mission, the landing craft will be monitored from the DLR Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC).

  MASCOT Flight Activities
Okt. 2018 Landing and Science Sequence
Sept. 2018 MASCOT Delivery preparation
Aug. 2018 Landing Site selection
Jul. 2018 MASCOT Health check
Jul. 2018 Arrival at the Asteorid
Aug 2017 HY2-MASCOT Communication check
Aug 2017 MASCOT On-Asteroid Sequence Test
Jul. 2017 MASCOT Health check
Jul. 2017 MASCOT Software Upload
May 2017 MASCOT Health check
Nov. 2016 MASCOT Instrument Calibration #2
Oct. 2016 HY2-MASCOT Communication check
Jul. 2016 MASCOT Thermal Evaluation
Jul. 2016 Data Transfer Test (On-Asteroid Spacecraft configuration)
Jul. 2016 MASCOT Health check
Jan. 2016 CAM data download
Sep. 2015 PRM activation (launch lock)
Sep. 2015 MASCOT Instrument Calibration #1
Jun. 2015 HY2-MASCOT Communication check
Jun. 2015 MASCOT Health check


DLR's participation in the Hayabusa2 mission

The DLR Institute of Space Systems developed the lander and tested it under space conditions during parabolic flights, in a drop tower, on a shaker and in a thermal vacuum chamber. The DLR Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems was responsible for the stable structure of the lander. The DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics developed the swing arm that MASCOT will use to 'hop' on the asteroid. The DLR Institute of Planetary Research managed the development of the MASCAM camera and the MARA radiometer. The asteroid lander is being monitored and controlled from the Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC) in Cologne.

The final news about InSight mission

21.3.20 - Asteroid Ryugu likely link in planetary formation


The Solar System formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago. Numerous fragments that bear witness to this early era orbit the Sun as asteroids. Around three-quarters of these are carbon-rich C-type asteroids, such as 162173 Ryugu, which was the target of the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission in 2018 and 2019. The spacecraft is currently on its return flight to Earth.
Read more

12.10.18 - Viel Geröll, viele Steine, kein Staub: MASCOTs Zickzackkurs über den Asteroiden Ryugu


Sechs Minuten freier Fall, sanfter Aufprall auf einem Stein und dann elf Minuten wiederholtes abprallen bis zur ersten Ruhelage. So begann die Reise des Asteroidenlanders MASCOT am frühen Morgen des 3. Oktober 2018 auf Asteroid Ryugu, einem Land voller Überraschungen, Geheimnissen und Herausforderungen. Nach diesem ersten Weg auf dem knapp 900 Meter großen Asteroiden folgten rund 17 Stunden intensiver wissenschaftlicher Erkundung.
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05.10.18 - Three hops in three asteroid days – MASCOT successfully completes the exploration of the surface of asteroid Ryugu


It was a day full of exciting moments and a happy team of scientists and engineers: late in the afternoon of 3 October 2018, the German-French lander MASCOT completed its historic exploration of the surface of the asteroid Ryugu at 21:04 CEST, as its battery ran out. On-asteroid operations were originally scheduled to last 16 hours after separation from the Japanese mothercraft Hayabusa2. But in the end, the battery lasted more than 17 hours.
Read more

03.10.18 - MASCOT lands safely on asteroid Ryugu


The near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, located approximately 300 million kilometres from Earth, has a new inhabitant: On 3 October 2018, the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) landed on the asteroid and began to work. The lander successfully separated from the Japanese Hayabusa2 space probe at 03:58 CEST. The 16 hours in which the lander will conduct measurements on the asteroid’s surface have begun for the international team of engineers and scientists.
Read more

03.10.18 - MASCOT lands safely on asteroid Ryugu


The near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, located approximately 300 million kilometres from Earth, has a new inhabitant: On 3 October 2018, the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) landed on the asteroid and began to work. The lander successfully separated from the Japanese Hayabusa2 space probe at 03:58 CEST.
Read more

02.10.18 - Descent into the unknown: MASCOT starts the final countdown for its asteroid landing


If everything goes according to plan, the moment will finally come on 3 October 2018. Early in the morning, at 03:58:15 CEST, the asteroid lander MASCOT will separate from the Hayabusa2 space probe and land on the surface of Ryugu a few minutes later.
Read more

22.08.18 - Landing site on the asteroid Ryugu determined


Not too hot and not too cold. Not too many boulders, nor too few. Easily accessible and scientifically exciting. Meeting the requirements that the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) team had for the landing site on the asteroid Ryugu was no easy task. "However, we have now decided on an almost perfect landing site," says Ralf Jaumann from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, who is Principal Investigator of the MASCOT landing probe and responsible for the lander's MasCam camera experiment. DLR Project Manager Tra-Mi Ho is also satisfied with the selection of the landing site: "For the operation of our lander, the chosen landing site was among the favourites from the very start."
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06.07.18 - Preparing for an asteroid landing – the MASCOT Control Center in contact with the MASCOT lander


On 6 July 2018 at 03:15 CEST (01:15 UTC), it was time. The team at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) MASCOT Control Center in Cologne received the first signals from the German-French asteroid lander MASCOT upon its arrival at the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu.
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14.08.18 - Landing on Ryugu – a surface with a view of boulders


In early October 2018, the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) lander is expected to be in operation for approximately 16 hours on the Ryugu asteroid. The selection of the landing site will take place this August. The ideal site must firstly offer the MASCOT team engineers excellent conditions for a safe landing and stable operation on the asteroid, while providing the researchers with a wealth of new and productive measurements. The lander made its way to the asteroid on board the Japanese Hayabusa2 space probe, carrying four instruments that will examine the celestial body directly on the surface.
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09.08.18 - MASCOT's asteroid landing – the preparations, the risks and the last-minute decisions


Scientists and engineers have been waiting nearly four years for the Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft – which is carrying the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) lander that was developed and constructed by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) – to reach its destination: the asteroid Ryugu. With the approach and arrival having taken place on 27 June 2018, the landing is now within reach. The MASCOT mission will mark the first time that a scientific laboratory, equipped with instruments, aims to land on an asteroid. Based on current planning, this is expected to take place in the first week of October 2018
Read more
06.07.18 - Preparing for an asteroid landing – the MASCOT Control Center in contact with the MASCOT lander
27.06.18 - On the trail of a near-Earth asteroid – the Hayabusa2 spacecraft and MASCOT lander reach Ryugu
14.07.16 - Health check for asteroid lander MASCOT
04.12.15 - Hayabusa-2: Schwungholen an der Erde und wieder ab ins All
03.12.14 - MASCOT en route to Asteroid 1999 JU3
27.11.14 - All set for space! – the MASCOT asteroid lander
08.07.14 - "Mitfluggelegenheit" auf dem Asteroidenlander Mascot
17.06.13 - MicrOmega on MASCOT: Preparing to visit an asteroid
01.10.12 - MASCOT - an asteroid lander with a sense of direction
Video Galerie MASCOT
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