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At 01:57:20 UTC on October 3rd, 2018, after 3½ years of cruise aboard the JAXA spacecraft HAYABUSA2 and about 3 months in the vicinity of its target, the MASCOT lander was separated successfully by from an altitude of 41 m. After a free-fall of only ~5m51s MASCOT made first contact with C-type near-Earth and potentially hazardous asteroid (162173) Ryugu, by hitting a big boulder. MASCOT then bounced for ~11m3s, in the process already gathering valuable information on mechanical properties of the surface before it came to rest. It was able to perform science measurements at 3 different locations on the surface of Ryugu and took many images of its spectacular pitch-black landscape. MASCOT’s payload suite was designed to investigate the fine-scale structure, multispectral reflectance, thermal characteristics and magnetic properties of the surface. Somewhat unexpectedly, MASCOT encountered very rugged terrain littered with large surface boulders. Observing in-situ, it confirmed the absence of fine particles and dust as already implied by the remote sensing instruments aboard the HAYABUSA2 spacecraft. After some 17h of operations, MASCOT‘s mission ended with the last communication contact as it followed Ryugu’s rotation beyond the horizon as seen from HAYABUSA2. Soon after, its primary battery was depleted. We present a broad overview of the recent scientific results of the MASCOT mission from separation through descent, landing and in-situ investigations on Ryugu until the end of its operation and relate them to the needs of planetary defense interactions with asteroids. We also recall the agile, responsive and sometimes serendipitous creation of MASCOT, the two-year rush of building and delivering it to JAXA’s HAYABUSA2 spacecraft in time for launch, and the four years of in-flight operations and on-ground testing to make the most of the brief on-surface mission.

For the Planetary Defense Conference Exercise 2019, we set out to find ways to obtain the earliest possible characterization of the incoming (fictitious!) asteroid, 2019 PDC. After a partially successful deflection, a 'small' fragment was still bound for impact. The location was only known two weeks before impact - the time left for the evacuation of the larger New York City metropolitan region. With experience in Near-Earth Object (NEO) exploration mission design, solar sail and solar-electric propulsion (SEP) technology for small spacecraft, agile responsive design and integration, and from previous PDC Exercises, the importance of earliest possible information on impact location and energy was obvious. NEO in-situ exploration can provide invaluable information not just for deflection actions but also for planetary science and resource utilization. This is only possible with space missions closely approaching the asteroid. Expecting a solar sail mission flying in the 2020s could be re-directed, a unique feature of solar sailing, we searched for multiple rendezvous missions at initial sail technology characteristic accelerations of =2 years, within

For now, the Planetary Defense Conference Exercise 2021's incoming fictitious(!) asteroid, 2021 PDC, seems headed for impact on October 20th, 2021, exactly 6 months after its discovery. Today (Monday, April 26th, 2021), the impact probability is 5%, in a steep rise from 1 in 2500 upon discovery six days ago. We all know how these things end. Or do we? Unless somebody wants to keep civil defense very busy very soon, the chance is 95% that it will not hit; instead fly by closely to Earth, swing by to a new orbit that takes it away essentially forever or back again sooner or later through a keyhole, for a re-play at different odds. This is where our story starts and the story sounds familiar: season's greetings from 2004 MN4, now better known as (99942) Apophis. One more thing is similar: the close fly-by is an easy launch opportunity to 'jump aboard' that potentially hazardous asteroid for planetary science and tracking of longterm Yarkovsky-shifted keyhole resonant return risks. Indeed, missions are currently being discussed to launch during the 2029 fly-by of Apophis to rendezvous and investigate it closely right after. Others strive for an earlier launch to rendezvous well before, to observe all of the close fly-by at Earth and what it might do to a likely delicate rubble pile asteroid. Presently, this is an unlikely if not impossible option for sudden encounters like 2021 PDC with a lead time of months. But when asteroid mining (...possibly the other ...-not-if of asteroids?) takes off in the same manner as low Earth orbit communications satellites, this option may become a reality. But for now, even if a suitable planetary mission were serendipitously ready atop a suitable launch vehicle, could you get it an asteroid lander within 6 months? Surprisingly, this option existed between late 2014 and late 2018 when the MASCOT Qualification Model turned Flight Spare was kept fully integrated and flight ready for on-ground testing to prepare for the Flight Model's brief but complete mission on Ryugu with JAXA's highly successful HAYABUSA2 probe. At the same time, the MASCOT2 detailed design study for ESA's former AIM mission within the common NASA-ESA AIDA mission to (65803) Didymos and its moonlet, Dimorphos (then affectionately known as 'Didymoon'), paved the way for long-life MASCOTs, many of which have been discussed and studied since. The thoughtful design of MASCOT’s hardware and software allowed for a very high degree of re-use and flexibility regarding scientific payloads. MASCOT2 was to investigate the interior of Didymoon by Low-Frequency Radar. Close encounters like Apophis' offer unique opportunities for Earth-based planetary radar assets to work with spacecraft near and landers on the passing asteroid. We present a range of options for radar- and composition-oriented long-life MASCOT variants - to be delivered to the surfaces of the respective asteroid bodies - for the presently most likely near miss of 2021 PDC and the most certain close fly-by of (99942) Apophis on Friday, April 13th, 2029.

In a similarly brief event some 10½ years before Apophis' fly-by on Friday, April 13th, 2029, the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, MASCOT, successfully completed its 17-hours mission on the ~km-sized C-type potentially hazardous asteroid (162173) Ryugu. Investigating the surface and its thermal properties, looking for a magnetic field, and imaging the stark landscapes of this dark rubble pile, it contributed valuable close-up information before the surface sampling by its mothership, HAYABUSA2. We outline the capabilities of the asteroid nanolanders MASCOT, MASCOT2, and the options for optimized MASCOT@Apophis designs in particular for small spacecraft rendezvous missions to Apophis.

By the time of Apophis' fly-by on Friday, April 13th, 2029, more satellites than have ever been launched since the beginning of the space age to this day will reach low Earth orbit (LEO). Almost all of them will be microsatellites of less than ~250 kg equipped with solar-electric propulsion (SEP). We propose the use of already created low-thrust trajectories to Apophis to help advance design trades in the early study phases of missions to Apophis. It appears that small spacecraft missions could benefit from solar-electric or sail propulsion.

On Earth most definitely and likely also around the Moon, in the few days centred on Friday, April 13th, 2029, 21:45 UT, every informed and curious naked eye, lens, mirror and dish within the horizon will be aimed at (99942) Apophis for an once-in-a-1000 years opportunity of scientific observations. Most will watch or listen. Many will transmit. Some will get in the way of others. And a few will blast it with all they can - for the best of science. We intend to start the discussion to include the public in the unique observation of Apophis, in particular focusing on the radio amateur community and the need for world-wide coordination to avoid mutual interference.

Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample return mission operated by the Japanese space agency, JAXA. It was launched in December 2014. In July 2018, the spacecraft has reached the mission target after a 4-year-long cruise. The objective is a C-type primordial asteroid called Ryugu, in search of organic and hydrated minerals that might give essential clues for the solar system formation. The small lander MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid surface SCOuT) carried aboard Hayabusa2 landed on the surface on the 3rd of October 2018 for reliminary in-situ investigations while the probe is aiming to study Ryugu on a global scale and to return samples to Earth. MASCOT was jointly developed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). It is equipped with a sensor suite consisting of four fully-fledged instruments. DLR was responsible for developing the MASCOT lander and ground segment, and was in charge of planning and conducting lander joint operations from MUSC. CNES supplied the hyperspectral IR spectrometer (MicrOmega, IAS Paris), antennae and power system, provided a support to operations and was in charge of the flight dynamics aspects of the mission. The 17 hours of on-asteroid operations exceeded expectations and the overall landing and operations were a huge success. Indeed, the characteristics of the Ryugu asteroid such as the shape and the gravity were known only after arrival of Hayabusa2 in July 2018 and the operating ccontext was very constrained but did not provide from fulfilling the objectives. This paper is a complement to the overall paper on MASCOT landing and first results. It will focus on several operational tasks such as communication and power subsystems assessments as well as flight dynamics computations needed in real time and for postprocessing.

The presentation summarizes INPPS (International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System) flagship non-human (2020th) and human (2030th) Mars exploration missions. The 2020th first flagship space flight is the complex, complete test mission for the second flagship towards Mars with humans (2030th). The most efficient approach is the completely tested first INPPS in the 2020th as the preparation of the second flagship with humans on board. The second INPPS (2030th) is also the regular space transportation tug Mars-Earth. International requests for human Mars space flight is realizable by rationales for pursuing two INPPS Mars missions in the proposed period: 1) successful finalization of the European-Russian DEMOCRITOS and MEGAHIT projects with their three concepts of space, ground and nuclear demonstrators for INPPS realization (2017), 2) successful ground based test of the Russian nuclear reactor with 1MWel plus the important thermal emission solution by droplet radiators (2018), 3) reactor space qualification by Russia until 2025 and 4) the perfect celestial Earth-Mars-Earth-Jupiter/Europa trajectory in 2026-2031 to carryout maximal INPPS space flight tests. Set of issues of INPPS space system and all subsystems became identified and studied during DEMOCRITOS. Consequently critical performance will be studied by parallel realizations of the ground and nuclear demonstrators (until 2025). The INPPS space demonstrator considers directly results of ground and nuclear demonstrator tests. Realization of the space demonstrator in form of the first space qualification of INPPS with all subsystems in the middle of the 2020th plus INPPS tests for about one to two years - first in high Earth orbit and later in nearby Earth space environment means a complete concepts driven approval for all INPPS technologies for non-human/human INPPS-Mars missions. Space subsystem results of MARS-INPPS design (with arrow wing shaped radiators) will be described. In dependence - from a cluster with worldwide selected electric thrusters - the MARS-INPPS payload mass is up to 18 tons. This very high payload mass allows to transport three different payloads at once - scientific, pure commercial and new media communication. The realization including tests is sketched: especially the need of non-human flagship Mars flight, the test towards Europa (including real time radiation monitoring) for maximal human Mars mission preparation for the second INPPS with humans to Mars. INPPS missions implicate Apollo and ISS comparable outcomes for science technologies, international dedication and in addition for space commercialization. Insofar - this MARS-INPPS presentation - convince high attendance of conference participants, commercial and new media investors.

The presentation gives an overview of the current plans for the INPPS (International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System) Flagship design as well as related scenarios for utilization and puts these efforts in context with related legal and political challenges. In the last years (2017/2018) significant technological progress has been achieved as the nuclear reactor, radiator and propulsion subsystems of INPPS Flagship have successfully passed partial ground testing. Thus, the next step towards the INPPS goal of efficient and effective transport missions to Mars / Phobos and Jupiter / Europa has been taken. Hence, it is important to consider wider aspects for the overall mission implementation phase. Mission components such as the nuclear reactor as the power source for the propulsion system will have to comply with the 1992 UN principles relevant to the use of nuclear power sources (NPS) in outer space as well as scepticism at a time of low appetite for nuclear energy before implementation. Therefore in addition to an update on current technical state of art, this paper will look into the political questions related to the mission design, requirements of associated safety regulations and economic aspects for INPPS Flagship commercialization and international communication. The paper will show that the rationales for pursuing the implementation of this flagship mission are derived from a technological push but also from wider strategic aspects that benefit a variety of stakeholders and serve multiple goals. The interactive presentation will include videos related to INPPS Flagship, international interviews for Mars exploration mission by NPS, description of UN principles of NPS as well as commercialization and international communication aspects.

The power demand for future satellite applications will continue to rise. Geostationary telecom-munication satellites currently approach a power level of up to 20 kW. Future spacecraft will provide yet more transponders and/or direct mobile-satellite services. Electric propulsion is in-creasingly used for station keeping, attitude control and GEO circularization. Interplanetary mis-sions already use kW-range electric propulsion. Space Tugs are studied for several fields. Suitable engines require 100 kW or more. The envisaged use of such engines and the operation of future GEO satellites lead to a renewed interest in large, deployable and ultra-lightweight power gen-erators in space. Within the GoSolAr (Gossamer Solar Array) activity, DLR develops a new photovoltaic array technology for power generation. It is based on the DLR Gossamer approach using lightweight, deployable CFRP booms and a polymer membrane covered with thin-film CIGS photovoltaics. The booms are arranged in a crossed configuration with a central deployment unit. The photovol-taic area is composed of one large square membrane with double folding using two-dimensional deployment. Even though the efficiency of thin-film photovoltaics is currently only about 1/3 of that of con-ventional photovoltaics, a membrane based array can already achieve better mass/power ratios. A 50 kW array requires an area of approximately 20 m x 20 m. In a first step, DLR develops a fully functional 5 m x 5 m demonstrator partially covered with thin-film photovoltaics, using the DLR small satellite platform S2TEP. Space compatible thin-film photovoltaics need to be select-ed and tested. They are integrated on standardized generator modules that will be assembled into a large, foldable and deployable membrane. A controlled deployment of structure and membrane, and a sufficiently stiff support structure for operation are key development topics. We present the conceptual design of the GoSolAr demonstrator, the main requirements, prelimi-nary technical budgets and the development strategy. An overview will be given on the selection and the maturity of the key technologies and subsystems, such as deployable membrane with in-tegrated photovoltaic generators; deployable CFRP booms including deployment mechanisms; photovoltaic cell selection and integration to generator units; the array harness concept as well as the electronics concept, for operation and photovoltaics characterization. Furthermore, an over-view of the first manufactured breadboard models and their testing will be presented, e.g. com-bined testing of booms and mechanically representative generator arrays to evaluate deployment and interface forces for the preliminary design.

It’s mid-term realization plus global strategic investments: the results of the European Russian DEMOCRITOS project (Horizon 2020) related to the MW class INPPS (International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System) flagship will be described. INPPS flagship includes high power electric thrusters cluster, supplied electric power by the nuclear reactor (successfully tested in Russia) and a solar power ring. Two INPPS versions were studied – the wide and arrow wing versions. Both versions have a futuristic design with standardized interfaces for several flagship subsystems. Especially the high payload mass of INPPS allows the transport of – for example – up to 12 t to JUPITER moon EUROPA and about 18 t to MARS – as a function of specific impulse of electric thrusters. INPPS flagship not only allows scientific, but especially commercial and communication payloads as well. This means industrial-scale production of space flight systems for robotic and human space exploration. International cooperation related to INPPS realization are necessary within an International High Power Space Transportation program to realize the DEMOCRITOS core, ground and space components until 2025. DEMOCRITOS project included partners from Europe, Russia and a Brazilian guest observer and received several inputs from NASA Cleveland and JAXA Tokyo.

The exploration of small solar system bodies started with fast fly-bys of opportunity on the sidelines of missions to the planets. The tiny new worlds seen turned out to be so intriguing and different from all else (and each other) that dedicated sample-return and in-situ analysis missions were developed and launched. Through these, highly efficient low-thrust propulsion expanded from commercial use into mainstream and flagship science missions, there in combination with gravity assists propulsion. In parallel, the growth of small spacecraft solutions accelerated in numbers as well as individual spacecraft capabilities. The on-going missions OSIRIS-REX (NASA) or HAYABUSA2 (JAXA) with its landers MINERVA-II and MASCOT, and the upcoming NEASCOUT mission are examples of this synergy of trends. The continuation of these and other related devlopments towards a propellant-less and highly efficient class of spacecraft for solar system exploration emerges in the form of small spacecraft solar sails designed for carefree handling and equipped with carried landers and application modules. These address the needs of all asteroid user communities - planetary science, planetary defence, and in-situ resource utilization - as well as other fields of solar system science and applications such as space weather warning and solar observations. Already the DLR-ESTEC GOSSAMER Roadmap for Solar Sailing initiated studies of missions uniquely feasible with solar sails such as Displaced L1 (DL1) space weather advance warning and monitoring and Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) delivery, which demonstrate the capabilities of near-term solar sails to reach any kind of orbit in the inner solar system. This enables Multiple Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) rendezvous missions (MNR), from Earth-coorbital to extremely inclined and even retrograde target orbits. For these mission types using separable payloads, design concepts can be derived from the separable Boom Sail Deployment Units characteristic of DLR GOSSAMER solar sail technology, nanolanders like MASCOT, or microlanders like the JAXA-DLR Jupiter Trojan Asteroid Lander for the OKEANOS mission which can shuttle from the sail to the targets visited and enable multiple NEA sample-return missions. These nanospacecraft scale components are an ideal match creating solar sails in micro-spacecraft format whose launch configurations are compatible with secondary payload platforms such as ESPA and ASAP. The DLR GOSSAMER solar sail technology builds on the experience gained in the development of deployable membrane structures leading up to the successful ground deployment test of a (20 m)2 solar sail at DLR Cologne in 1999 and in the 20 years since.

Now spanning a time frame of already 10 years, the plan to land a European Lander on an asteroid has finally been accomplished. The first idea was established around 2008 in the framework of the European Marco Polo Assessment, studying the possibility to collect a pristine sample of a Near-Earth Asteroid and returning it back to Earth. The lander named MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) was proposed to be carried by the main spacecraft, to land on the surface and by the ability to relocate to investigate multiple surface locations in order to scout the best possible sampling site. After the discontinuation of the original study, MASCOT received an invitation from JAXA to join-in the Hayabusa2 mission, the direct follow-up of the first asteroid sampler Hayabusa. However, MASCOT was selected at a time (mid 2011) when its conceptual design and scientific payloads had not been fully defined; with the carrier spacecraft already in its critical design phase having most of its interfaces fixed; no heritage to use off-the-shelf bus equipment directly and only 3 years left until a proposed final delivery. The tight schedule, tightly defined envelope, and strict margins policy were challenges during its development at all levels. Nevertheless, Hayabusa2 and MASCOT were launched on December 3rd, 2014, and arrived at their destined target asteroid (162173) Ryugu on June 27, 2018. Finally, MASCOT was separated from its mother spacecraft and successfully landed on October 3rd, 2018, accomplishing the first ever landing of a European spacecraft on the surface of an asteroid. This paper provides a review of the performed MASCOT development process including its verification strategy from the first unit hardware test to the final check-out before launch. In addition, it also provides a historical comparison to former fast-paced programs in space.

Following the highly successful flight of the first interplanetary solar sail, JAXA's IKAROS, with missions in the pipeline such as NASA's NEASCOUT nanospacecraft solar sail and JAXA's Solar Power Sail solar-electric propelled mission to a Jupiter Trojan asteroid, and on the back-ground of the ever increasing power demand of GEO satellites now including all-electric spacecraft, there is renewed interest in large lightweight structures in space. Among these, deployable membrane or 'gossamer' structures can provide very large functional area units for innovative space applications which can be stowed into the limited volumes of launch vehicle fairings as well as secondary payload launch slots, depending on the scale of the mission. Large area structures such as solar sails or high-power photovoltaic generators require a technology that allows their controlled and thereby safe deployment. Before employing such technology for a dedicated science or commercial mission, it is necessary, to demonstrate its reliability, i.e., TRL 6 or higher. A reliable technology that enables controlled deployment was developed in the GOSSAMER-1 solar sail deployment demonstrator project of the German Aerospace Center, DLR, including verification of its functionality with various laboratory tests to qualify the hardware for a first demonstration in low Earth orbit. We provide an overview of the GOSSAMER-1 hardware development and qualification campaign. The design is based on a crossed boom configuration with triangular sail segments. Employing engineering models, all aspects of the deployment were tested under ambient environment. Several components were also subjected to environmental qualification testing. An innovative stowing and deployment strategy for a controlled deployment and the required mechanisms are described. The tests conducted provide insight into the deployment process and allow a mechanical characterization of this process, in particular the measurement of the deployment forces. The stowing and deployment strategy was verified by tests with an engineering qualification model of one out of four GOSSAMER-1 deployment units. According to a test-as-you-fly approach the tests included vibration tests, venting, thermal-vacuum tests and ambient deployment. In these tests the deployment strategy proved to be suitable for a controlled deployment of gossamer spacecraft, and deployment on system level was demonstrated to be robust and controllable. The GOSSAMER-1 solar sail membranes were also equipped with small thin-film photovoltaic arrays intended to supply the core spacecraft. In our follow-on project GOSOLAR, the focus is now entirely on deployment systems for huge thin-film photovoltaic arrays. Based on the GOSSAMER-1 experience, deployment technology and qualification strategies, new technologies for the integration of thin-film photovoltaics are being developed and qualified for a first in-orbit technology demonstration within five years. Main objective is the further development of deployment technology for a 25 m² gossamer solar power generator and a flexible photovoltaic membrane. GOSOLAR enables a wider range of deployment concepts beyond solar sail optimized methods. It uses the S²TEP bus system developed at the Institute of Space Systems as part of the DLR satellite roadmap.