The Comet Interceptor Mission
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Published:2024-01-24
Issue:1
Volume:220
Page:
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ISSN:0038-6308
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Container-title:Space Science Reviews
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Space Sci Rev
Author:
Jones Geraint H.ORCID, Snodgrass ColinORCID, Tubiana CeciliaORCID, Küppers MichaelORCID, Kawakita HideyoORCID, Lara Luisa M.ORCID, Agarwal Jessica, André NicolasORCID, Attree NicholasORCID, Auster Uli, Bagnulo StefanoORCID, Bannister MicheleORCID, Beth ArnaudORCID, Bowles Neil, Coates AndrewORCID, Colangeli Luigi, Corral van Damme Carlos, Da Deppo VaniaORCID, De Keyser JohanORCID, Della Corte VincenzoORCID, Edberg NiklasORCID, El-Maarry Mohamed RamyORCID, Faggi SaraORCID, Fulle MarcoORCID, Funase RyuORCID, Galand MarinaORCID, Goetz CharlotteORCID, Groussin OlivierORCID, Guilbert-Lepoutre AurélieORCID, Henri Pierre, Kasahara SatoshiORCID, Kereszturi AkosORCID, Kidger Mark, Knight MatthewORCID, Kokotanekova RositaORCID, Kolmasova IvanaORCID, Kossacki KonradORCID, Kührt EkkehardORCID, Kwon YunaORCID, La Forgia FiorangelaORCID, Levasseur-Regourd Anny-Chantal, Lippi Manuela, Longobardo Andrea, Marschall RaphaelORCID, Morawski MarekORCID, Muñoz OlgaORCID, Näsilä Antti, Nilsson HansORCID, Opitom CyrielleORCID, Pajusalu MihkelORCID, Pommerol AntoineORCID, Prech LubomirORCID, Rando Nicola, Ratti Francesco, Rothkaehl HannaORCID, Rotundi AlessandraORCID, Rubin MartinORCID, Sakatani NaoyaORCID, Sánchez Joan PauORCID, Simon Wedlund CyrilORCID, Stankov Anamarija, Thomas NicolasORCID, Toth ImreORCID, Villanueva GeronimoORCID, Vincent Jean-BaptisteORCID, Volwerk MartinORCID, Wurz PeterORCID, Wielders Arno, Yoshioka KazuoORCID, Aleksiejuk KonradORCID, Alvarez FernandoORCID, Amoros Carine, Aslam ShahidORCID, Atamaniuk BarbaraORCID, Baran JędrzejORCID, Barciński TomaszORCID, Beck Thomas, Behnke Thomas, Berglund MartinORCID, Bertini IvanoORCID, Bieda Marcin, Binczyk Piotr, Busch Martin-Diego, Cacovean Andrei, Capria Maria Teresa, Carr ChrisORCID, Castro Marín José MaríaORCID, Ceriotti MatteoORCID, Chioetto PaoloORCID, Chuchra-Konrad AgataORCID, Cocola LorenzoORCID, Colin Fabrice, Crews ChiakiORCID, Cripps Victoria, Cupido Emanuele, Dassatti AlbertoORCID, Davidsson Björn J. R.ORCID, De Roche Thierry, Deca JanORCID, Del Togno SimoneORCID, Dhooghe FrederikORCID, Donaldson Hanna Kerri, Eriksson AndersORCID, Fedorov Andrey, Fernández-Valenzuela EstelaORCID, Ferretti Stefano, Floriot Johan, Frassetto FabioORCID, Fredriksson Jesper, Garnier PhilippeORCID, Gaweł Dorota, Génot VincentORCID, Gerber Thomas, Glassmeier Karl-HeinzORCID, Granvik MikaelORCID, Grison BenjaminORCID, Gunell HerbertORCID, Hachemi Tedjani, Hagen Christian, Hajra RajkumarORCID, Harada YukiORCID, Hasiba Johann, Haslebacher NicoORCID, Herranz De La Revilla Miguel Luis, Hestroffer DanielORCID, Hewagama TilakORCID, Holt CarrieORCID, Hviid StubbeORCID, Iakubivskyi IaroslavORCID, Inno LauraORCID, Irwin PatrickORCID, Ivanovski StavroORCID, Jansky JiriORCID, Jernej Irmgard, Jeszenszky Harald, Jimenéz JaimeORCID, Jorda LaurentORCID, Kama MihkelORCID, Kameda ShingoORCID, Kelley Michael S. P.ORCID, Klepacki Kamil, Kohout Tomáš, Kojima HirotsuguORCID, Kowalski Tomasz, Kuwabara MasakiORCID, Ladno Michal, Laky Gunter, Lammer HelmutORCID, Lan RadekORCID, Lavraud BenoitORCID, Lazzarin Monica, Le Duff Olivier, Lee Qiu-Mei, Lesniak Cezary, Lewis Zoe, Lin Zhong-Yi, Lister TimORCID, Lowry Stephen, Magnes WernerORCID, Markkanen JohannesORCID, Martinez Navajas IgnacioORCID, Martins ZitaORCID, Matsuoka AyakoORCID, Matyjasiak BarbaraORCID, Mazelle ChristianORCID, Mazzotta Epifani ElenaORCID, Meier Mirko, Michaelis Harald, Micheli MarcoORCID, Migliorini AlessandraORCID, Millet Aude-Lyse, Moreno FernandoORCID, Mottola StefanoORCID, Moutounaick Bruno, Muinonen KarriORCID, Müller Daniel R.ORCID, Murakami GoORCID, Murata NaofumiORCID, Myszka Kamil, Nakajima ShintaroORCID, Nemeth ZoltanORCID, Nikolajev Artiom, Nordera Simone, Ohlsson Dan, Olesk AireORCID, Ottacher Harald, Ozaki Naoya, Oziol Christophe, Patel ManishORCID, Savio Paul AdityaORCID, Penttilä AnttiORCID, Pernechele ClaudioORCID, Peterson Joakim, Petraglio Enrico, Piccirillo Alice Maria, Plaschke FerdinandORCID, Polak SzymonORCID, Postberg FrankORCID, Proosa Herman, Protopapa SilviaORCID, Puccio Walter, Ranvier SylvainORCID, Raymond SeanORCID, Richter IngoORCID, Rieder Martin, Rigamonti RobertoORCID, Ruiz Rodriguez IreneORCID, Santolik OndrejORCID, Sasaki TakahiroORCID, Schrödter Rolf, Shirley KatherineORCID, Slavinskis AndrisORCID, Sodor Balint, Soucek JanORCID, Stephenson PeterORCID, Stöckli LinusORCID, Szewczyk PawełORCID, Troznai Gabor, Uhlir LudekORCID, Usami NaotoORCID, Valavanoglou Aris, Vaverka JakubORCID, Wang Wei, Wang Xiao-DongORCID, Wattieaux Gaëtan, Wieser MartinORCID, Wolf Sebastian, Yano HajimeORCID, Yoshikawa IchiroORCID, Zakharov Vladimir, Zawistowski Tomasz, Zuppella PaolaORCID, Rinaldi Giovanna, Ji Hantao
Abstract
AbstractHere we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA’s F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum $\varDelta $
Δ
V capability of $600\text{ ms}^{-1}$
600
ms
−
1
. Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes – B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 – that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission’s science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule.
Funder
Science and Technology Facilities Council United Kingdom Space Agency Agenzia Spaziale Italiana European Space Agency Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales Ministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt Swedish National Space Agency Belgian Federal Science Policy Office H2020 European Research Council Külgazdasági és Külügyminisztérium Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Swiss Space Office Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung National Aeronautics and Space Administration Department of Science and Technology Academy of Finland Czech Academy of Science Royal Society Te Apārangi Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Space and Planetary Science,Astronomy and Astrophysics
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