MASCOT

MASCOT was the German-French mobile lander carried to asteroid Ryugu by Hayabusa2. The flight article launched with the Japanese spacecraft on December 3, 2014 and was released onto Ryugu on October 3, 2018. Its four instruments examined the surface at two locations, and its measurements were relayed through Hayabusa2 to Earth. DLR developed the lander and ground segment and conducted surface operations, with CNES providing the MicrOmega instrument, antennas, and power system. The battery-powered lander operated for more than 17 hours before its planned power supply was exhausted. It remained on Ryugu; the separate Hayabusa2 spacecraft collected the samples later returned to Earth.