A nanolander for a space mission to an active asteroid in the main belt.

A nanolander (CALICUT) with a total mass of about 10 kg was proposed in response to the CNSA (China National Space Administration) Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for an Asteroid Exploration Mission (AEM) by a joint European-Chinese team to operate on an active asteroid in the main belt. CALICUT is a further development of the MASCOT lander that flew on the Hayabusa 2 mission to asteroid Ryugu. The nanolander was designed with mobility and autonomy capabilities. It will be able to operate for at least 6 weeks to measure the physical, morphological and compositional properties of the target. The data can be used to derive answers to scientific questions, such as what drives activity on active asteroids, and identify similarities and differences between inactive asteroids and classical comets. CALICUT carries a payload of four scientific instruments with a total mass of about 2 kg to provide unique measurements that can only be done directly on the surface. • We present a new nanolander concept for asteroid exploration based on the MASCOT lander onboard the Hayabusa2 mission. • The nanolander is suitable for versatile missions to explore active asteroids. • The nanolander will be able to perform long term in-situ investigations (> 1 month) with an extended suite of 4 science instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]