Enter the Callisto system
The carrier would establish the required approach to Callisto and deliver the landing system to a selected site.
STARSHOT AEROSPACEContact 
CALLISTO SURFACE / ROBOTIC ICE SCIENCE
CA.R.I.E.
A proposed lander and rover mission to study Callisto surface material and investigate shallow ice sampling.
Callisto Rover and Ice Extractor
Surface exploration supported by a stationary relay lander.
The concept combines a cruise stage, a lander and a six-wheel rover. After landing, the rover would deploy down a ramp and communicate through the lander. Both vehicles could carry instruments, with the rover focused on close observations and sampling. Landing design and long-term surface survival remain open questions.
Preliminary mission architectureCURRENT STUDY
Mission at a glance.
- Destination
- Callisto
- Surface elements
- Science lander and six-wheel rover
- Primary power
- Low-intensity solar arrays and batteries
- Communications
- Rover-to-lander relay; lander-to-Earth high-gain link
- Mobility
- A.R.S. autonomous navigation
- Maximum speed objective
- Up to 1 m/s as an unverified design target
- Primary science
- Shallow ice extraction and surface composition
- Status
- Preliminary mission architecture
MISSION PROFILE
From departure to science operations.
The sequence is a mission concept. Timings and performance targets require trajectory and system analysis.
Land and commission
Following touchdown, the lander would deploy its power and communications equipment and check surface conditions.
Release the rover
The rover would descend the deployment ramp and check mobility and communications near the lander.
Traverse autonomously
The proposed Autonomous Roving System would combine stereo imaging with terrain assessment and route planning. A speed of 1 m/s is an upper design objective rather than a tested limit.
Extract and analyse
A shallow corer is proposed to obtain ice-bearing material for composition measurements. The lander could continue stationary observations.
Protect the data
If communications failed, the rover would attempt an energy-limited recovery sequence before entering a protective state. The sequence requires testing.
SPACECRAFT ARCHITECTURE
Candidate spacecraft systems.
These systems describe the proposed design and the work needed to assess it.
Autonomous Roving System
The Autonomous Roving System would require training and verification before deployment. Fixed safety limits would constrain onboard navigation decisions.
Loss-of-link response
The current recovery concept would stop the rover and attempt to retrace a previously accepted route. A higher-power beacon after 18 hours is an unvalidated timing assumption.
Terminal response
A further 18-hour period is proposed before a final data-transmission attempt and low-power state. Battery capacity and mission safety must determine the final timing.
Solar power
Sunlight at Jupiter is roughly one twenty-fifth of that at Earth. Array area, energy storage and survival through darkness would be major design requirements.
Radiation
Callisto lies outside the most intense inner Jovian radiation regions. Electronics and instruments would still need environmental qualification and appropriate protection.
Science
Candidate instruments include cameras, spectrometers and a shallow corer. Radar and environmental sensors are also under consideration.
PROPOSED SCIENTIFIC PARTNERSHIP MODEL
A proposed framework for partner instruments and observations.
A future agreement would define instrument accommodation and integration along with operations and data delivery. Starshot would operate the spacecraft. Development would depend on an agreed scope and sufficient committed funding.
Rover payloads
Rover instruments would need agreed power and data limits as well as compatible fields of view or surface-contact requirements.
Lander payloads
Lander instruments could use a stationary platform and its Earth communications link within the available power budget.
Traverse campaigns
Partners could propose sampling or observation objectives compatible with the selected site and rover range.
Data and operations
Possible service agreements would define integration work, instrument operations and delivery of the scientific data.
ReservationPaid capacity hold following competitive selection
IntegrationStaged fees for interface review, qualification and delivery
Flight serviceContract covering launch, operations, downlink and data delivery
ExtensionRenewable operations or relay service after the prime mission
Financial assessment would compare committed funding with the full cost of development and operations. It would also account for launch, integration and insurance alongside contingency and financing costs.
ENGINEERING PRECEDENT
References informing the study.
NEXT STEPS
The surface mission depends on reliable landing, energy storage and communications as well as rover mobility.
Mission-specific figures are preliminary targets or assumptions. They may change as the trajectory and system designs are developed. The references describe relevant science and prior missions; they do not validate this proposed spacecraft.
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