ESA wants to create a 3D model of a ‘pristine’ comet with three spacecraft
The ESA has given the go-ahead for a mission in 2028 that will see three spacecraft deep in our solar system on their way to a comet that is just entering our solar system. The goal is to make a 3d model of it and thus learn more about the celestial body.
The mission is called Comet Interceptor and consists of three spacecraft. Initially they form one whole, but for mapping a comet or other object they are split up – it is not yet known exactly which comet Comet Interceptor will investigate. By splitting into three vessels, photos are taken from different perspectives. Based on this, a 3D model will eventually be created, which should help the ESA to recognize material from the early days of the solar system. Various instruments are included, such as a mass spectrometer and a camera.
Comet Interceptor is planned to piggyback on another ESA spacecraft to be launched in 2028. That concerns Ariel, a spacecraft that will study exoplanets. Both missions are headed for LaGrange point L2, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. From there, the Comet Interceptor spacecraft, which has a total mass of less than 1000kg, will continue flying under its own power with its own propulsion system.
The ESA says the mission is unique as it will be the first to photograph a comet that pays a visit to the inner solar system for the first time. Previous comet missions, such as Giotto and Rosetta, have studied comets that have orbited the Sun many times. Comet Interceptor, on the other hand, will target a “pristine” comet that has changed little since the time the sun and planets formed. That could provide insight into the formation of comets as they fly toward the center of the solar system. The target object of the mission may be from the Oort Cloud, a supposedly large cloud surrounding our solar system that contains billions of rocky objects.
No object has yet been chosen as a target for this mission; the ESA says the destination for the mission need not be known in advance, as the spacecraft may be on standby in space, waiting for a good opportunity to intercept a comet. Also, the detection capacity for scanning space from Earth has recently made significant strides. In the past, ‘new’ comets were discovered a few months or years before coming into orbit at the closest point to the Sun. That made planning a space mission like the Comet Interceptor impossible, because there was not enough time. Now, however, there would be enough time for the spacecraft to spring into action spontaneously if a suitable candidate is spotted from Earth. The mission is expected to be completed within five years of launch.
This Earth’s ability to map comets early mainly involves Pan-Starrs, a system specifically designed to detect near-Earth objects. The system consists of two 6-foot telescopes and is located at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii, which observes a portion of the sky every night. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, currently under construction in Chile, will also make a significant contribution to finding new comets.