ESA's Comet Interceptor: Studying deep space objects like never before (Pre-mission)

Concept of a possible long period comet for the Comet Inerceptor to study. Credit: ESA

• Launch Date: 2029 (Planned)
• Launch Site: ELA-4, Kourou, French Guiana
• Launch Vehicle: Ariane 6
• Mission Type: Flyby
• Target: To Be Determined
• Dimensions: N/A
• Mass: Under 1000 Kilograms

The Concept

As of writing, the Comet Interceptor is in the early stages of development, and many years down the road. The plan is to launch Interceptor to Lagrange point 2, along with the exoplanet studying Ariel spacecraft. Once there, Interceptor will wait for an unexpected long period comet, or interstellar object to approach the inner solar system.

Location of Lagrange point 2. Credit: ESA

Long period comets are usually discovered just months or a couple years before close approach, which isn't enough time to plan and launch a mission to them. The point of Interceptor is to be prepared for when these comets are discovered, and go to investigate them. It may also investigate an interstellar object, like Oumumua or Borisov.

The mission proposal was made in July of 2018, and selected a year later. It was officially adopted in 2022, and construction is currently underway. Once a target is selected, the Interceptor will start its journey. On close approach to the target, the Interceptor will deploy a couple probes. One of these probes will be made by JAXA, and the other probe will be made by ESA.

Hopefully, if all goes well, Interceptor will be the first spacecraft to visit a comet from the Oort Cloud, or an interstellar object.

Graphic showing the Kuiper belt, and the Oort cloud (Not to Scale). Credit: ESA

Visiting an object from far out in the solar system, or even beyond it, will bring new groundbraking science. Objects this far out have had no, or little, chemical and physical alteration since their formation. This makes them pristine remnants of our solar system. The most pristine object currently visited is likely Arrokoth, a Kuiper belt object imaged by the New Horizons spacecraft.

Composite Image of Arrokoth from New Horizons. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI