| Mission type | Reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| Operator | European Space Agency |
| Website | sites |
| Mission duration | 1 year |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 1,611 kg (3,552 lb)[1] |
| Dry mass | 1,387 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Proposed: October 2028 [1] |
| Rocket | Proposed: Ariane 6.2[1] |
| Comet 7968 Elst–Pizarro orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | 2035 [1] |
Cosmic Vision M-class | |
Castalia is a proposed mission concept for a robotic spacecraft to explore the main-belt comet 7968 Elst–Pizarro and make the first in situ measurements of water in the asteroid belt, and thus, help solve the mystery of the origin of Earth's water. The lead is Colin Snodgrass, from The Open University in UK.
Castalia was proposed in 2015 and 2016 to the European Space Agency within the Cosmic Vision programme missions M4 and M5, but it was not selected. Because of the construction time required and orbital dynamics, a launch date of October 2028 is proposed.