English

Interstellar Now! Missions to and Sample Returns from Nearby Interstellar Objects

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2021-08-05 v5 Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Space Physics

Abstract

The recently discovered first high velocity hyperbolic objects passing through the Solar System, 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, have raised the question about near term missions to Interstellar Objects. In situ spacecraft exploration of these objects will allow the direct determination of both their structure and their chemical and isotopic composition, enabling an entirely new way of studying small bodies from outside our solar system. In this paper, we map various Interstellar Object classes to mission types, demonstrating that missions to a range of Interstellar Object classes are feasible, using existing or near-term technology. We describe flyby, rendezvous and sample return missions to interstellar objects, showing various ways to explore these bodies characterizing their surface, dynamics, structure and composition. Interstellar objects likely formed very far from the solar system in both time and space; their direct exploration will constrain their formation and history, situating them within the dynamical and chemical evolution of the Galaxy. These mission types also provide the opportunity to explore solar system bodies and perform measurements in the far outer solar system.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2008.07647,
  title  = {Interstellar Now! Missions to and Sample Returns from Nearby Interstellar Objects},
  author = {Andreas M. Heina and T. Marshall Eubanks and Manasvi Lingam and Adam Hibberd and Dan Fries and Jean Schneider and Pierre Kervella and Robert Kennedy and Nikolaos Perakis and Bernd Dachwald},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2008.07647},
  year   = {2021}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T17:55:24.070Z