Scientists Propose Space Missions to Chase Down Interstellar Comets

Scientists now say that missions to chase and study interstellar comets – objects like the recent visitor 3I/ATLAS – are both feasible and affordable. A Southwest Research Institute study reports that a spacecraft could intercept such a comet with current technology, given enough notice and funding. In fact, the team's calculations showed that a probe could have already reached 3I/ATLAS. Such a flyby would allow us to directly sample material from beyond our solar system, unlocking new clues about the makeup of other star systems.

Scientific potential and cost efficiency

According to SWRI scientists, a close flyby of an interstellar comet would yield “unprecedented insights” into these objects' makeup and origins. For example, a probe could sample the comet's nucleus and coma (its cloud of gas and dust) to learn how it formed and evolved. The team found that such missions could be done with current rockets and instruments. In fact, many would require less fuel and velocity change than routine solar-system missions. As SWRI specialist Mark Tapley notes, this doesn't take “anything harder than the technologies and launch performance” of past NASA missions.

International collaboration

In reality, the search for interstellar comets is a worldwide endeavor. In order to track 3I/ATLAS, ESA astronomers currently use observatories in Hawaii, Chile, and Australia, some of which are supplied by international collaborations. Hubble and other large space telescopes are collaborative projects between NASA and ESA. As an example of how agencies around the world intend to actively respond to these transient objects, Europe's upcoming Comet Interceptor mission (due in 2029) will wait in space for a pristine comet or perhaps an interstellar visitor. When the next visitor is quickly identified, this kind of cooperation spreads expertise and costs, increasing the viability of a probe mission.