CALICO 2.0 technical support

In response to ESA’s 2021 M7 call, Luleå Tekniska Universität proposed CALICO (Ceres Autonomous Lander Into Crater Occator). CALICO was among the five M7 missions selected for a phase 0 study by ESA. The mission’s aims are summarized as follows:“Dwarf planet Ceres is the closest ocean world to Earth.

Its surface shows clear signs of geological activity, in particular in Occator crater with its evaporite deposits.

CALICO 2.0 (Ceres Advanced Lander In-situ Combined with Orbiter Observations) will land in Occator crater and analyse the salt- and organics-rich deposits of Cerealia Facula.

The mission will investigate the origin and evolution of this enigmatic ocean world, and uncover similarities with the icy moons of the outer solar system. It also aims to answer the question whether the subsurface harbours the building blocks of life.

CALICO 2.0 builds on the CALICO M7 proposal which made it into the M7 phase 0 and was able to benefit from a detailed CDF study.”