Comet Interceptor

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Comet Interceptor
Mission typeComet flyby
OperatorESA / JAXA
Websitewww.cometinterceptor.space/mission.html
Mission duration≈ 5 years
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftComet Interceptor
Launch massApprox. 850 kg (1,870 lb).[1]
Start of mission
Launch date2029 (planned)[2]
RocketAriane 62
Launch siteKourou ELA-4
ContractorArianespace
Flyby of a
long-period comet

yet to be selected
← ARIEL
ATHENA →

Comet Interceptor is a robotic spacecraft mission led by the

long-period comet
to fly by at a reachable trajectory and speed.

The

spacecraft bus is set at €150M, excluding science instruments and launch services.[1]

Overview

Artist's impression of the Comet Interceptor in space
Sketch of the Comet Interceptor flyby
Model of Comet Interceptor in 2024

Sun-Earth L2 point and wait for the discovery of a suitable comet that it can reach for a close flyby.[4]

The Comet Interceptor mission is unique in that it is designed to encounter an as-yet unknown target, having to wait between 2 and 3 years for a target it can reach with a reasonable change in velocity (delta-v) within a total mission length of approximately 5 years.[4][5] The baseline design is solar electric propulsion.[4]

Finding a suitable comet to fly by will rely on ground-based observational surveys such as Pan-STARRS, ATLAS, or the future Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).[1] In the case that no long-period comet can be intercepted in time, a backup short period comet (baseline: 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann) can be studied.[4] There is also the potential of intercepting an interstellar object passing through the Solar System, if the speed and direction permit.[4][6][7]

The mission's primary science goal is stated as "to characterise, a dynamically-new comet, including its surface composition, shape, structure, and the composition of its gas

coma."[8]

Comet Interceptor is being developed as ESA's first Fast class (F-class) of the

ARIEL space telescope, which is also bound for Lagrange point 2.[2]

Secondary spacecraft

Comet Interceptor instruments

One-two days before the comet flyby, the main spacecraft (spacecraft A) will deploy two small probes (B1 and B2) to venture even closer to the target, carrying complementary instrument payloads and to sample the

coma.[9][10] Each of the three spacecraft will sample gas composition, dust flux, density, magnetic fields, and plasma and solar wind interactions, to build up a 3D profile of the region around the comet.[11]

Spacecraft element Agency Science payload[12]
A ESA CoCa: Visible/near-infrared imager
MANIaC: Mass Analyzer for Neutrals and Ions at Comets (
mass spectrometer
)
MIRMIS: NIR and Thermal IR spectral imagers, and MIR spectrometer
DFP: Dust, Fields and Plasma
B1 JAXA HI:
Lyman-alpha Hydrogen imager
PS: Plasma Suite

WAC: wide angle camera
B2 ESA OPIC: Optical Imager for Comets (Vis/IR)
EnVisS: Entire Visible Sky coma mapper
DFP: Dust, Fields and Plasma

Timeline
  • In June 2022, the mission was adopted by ESA during the Agency’s Science Programme Committee.[15][16]
  • In December 2022, ESA and OHB have signed a contract to move forward with the design and construction of the spacecraft.[17]
  • In July 2024, the spacecraft's magnetometer boom was undergoing vibration testing[20]
  • In September 2024, MMA Space was selected to provide solar panels for the Probe B1.[21][22]
  • In November 2024, the Probe B2’s structural qualification model passed all mechanical tests and was pronounced structurally sound.[23]
  • In December 2024, OHB Czechspace in Brno, Czechia assembled a testing article of the dust shield before transporting it to IABG test facilities in Germany.[24][25]
  • In May 2025, ESA received results of the
    Redwire Corporation has also delivered the spacecraft's flight computer.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Jones, Geraint; Snodgrass, Colin (29 January 2019). Comet Interceptor: A proposed ESA mission to an ancient world (PDF). 20th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG). Houston, TX: Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  2. ^
    ESA
    . 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. JPL. NASA. 29 October 2008. Archived from the original
    on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  4. ^
    ESA
    . Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  5. ESA
    . Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  6. ^ O'Callaghan, Jonathan (24 June 2019). "European Comet Interceptor Could Visit an Interstellar Object". Scientific American. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  7. ^ Gough, Evan (29 June 2019). "Meet the Comet Interceptor. It'll Wait Patiently In Space for a Comet, Then Pounce On It". Universe Today. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  8. ESA
    . Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Comet Interceptor factsheet". www.esa.int.
  10. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily (21 June 2019). "ESA to Launch Comet Interceptor Mission in 2028". The Planetary Society. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  11. ^ Rabie, Passant (21 June 2019). "A Triple-Threat 'Comet Interceptor' Could Explore an Undiscovered Space Object". Space.com. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Comet Interceptor's spacecraft and instruments". www.esa.int.
  13. ^ "Comet Interceptor concept". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  14. PMID 31780664
    .
  15. ^ "Comet Interceptor approved for construction". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  16. ^ "ESA Gives Green Light on its Comet Interceptor Mission". Universe Today. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  17. ^ "Comet Interceptor construction moves forward". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  18. ^ "Estonia pioneers instrument for Comet Interceptor mission through Prodex". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  19. ^ Dorminey, Bruce. "Estonia Building Imager For ESA Mission To Intercept Long-Period Comet". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  20. ^ "Comet Interceptor's boom gets shaken, not stirred". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  21. ^ sorzano, sandy (2025-02-10). "MMA Space announces a contract award for solar arrays to power a small probe on the Comet Interceptor Mission". MMA Space. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
  22. ^ MMA announces contract award for solar arrays to power small probe on Comet Interceptor Mission
  23. ^ "Comet Interceptor's probe proves structurally sound". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  24. ^ "OHB Czechspace is assembling the Comet Interceptor dust shield". OHB Czechspace. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  25. ^ "V Brně se chystá konstrukce pro misi Comet Interceptor – Kosmonautix.cz" (in Czech). Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  26. ^ "European Space Agency's "Comet Interceptor" Mission Utilises Comet Models Developed in Latvia | researchlatvia". www.researchlatvia.gov.lv. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
  27. ^ "Redwire delivers flight computer for ESAs Comet Interceptor mission targeting primordial comet". Space Daily. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Comet_Interceptor&oldid=1297201441"