@ cometintercept A proposed ESA proposed toA mission ancient an world Geraint Jones, UCL Colin Snodgrass, University of Edinburgh, UK CometInterceptor Mullard and and the Comet Interceptor Team Space Science Space Laboratory,Science UK

Comet Interceptor • • • • • • • Overview Comet Interceptor 2019. 20, Shortlistproposals, 6 of invited to Phase submit 23 proposals submitted to ESA in October 2018. Sun to delivery mission; observatory exoplanet Constraints:maximumArielthe with 850kg wet 2028 in launch mass; teams. science the and instruments ESA science instruments not included in this sum. Maximumcost to ESA costat launch completion:but and €150M, 2018 F Comet Interceptor memberstates othercollaborating and agencies generally fund - class call for modest for call is one of the 6 shortlisted proposals. 6 the of one is proposedto ESAto response its mission in a is - sized missions. http://bit.ly/fclasscall - EarthL2. - 2 proposal by March July July

Comet Interceptor Why? • • • • interstellar an object. Comet Interceptor ices as firstSystem’s as Solar at ices the down laid formation to mission would A DNC a encounter pristinea comet, surfacewith for Sun the first time A dynamically Targetswere relatively evolved, dust thick mantleswith many Sun the times All previous comet missions have been to objects that have passed - new comet (DNC) is one that is probably nearing the is a mission targeting mission a is dynamically a - newcomet, or

Comet Interceptor Evolution of different comet types comet different of Evolution Pathways for icy frombodies planet forming disc ? ? ? ?

Jewi9 2018, arXiv:1808.04885 Comet Interceptor • • How? be greatlybe increased by The likelihood of this happening will soon direct a spacecraft to it discover it withinbound enough warning to only wayThe to encounter a • • in in dynamically Comet Interceptor spacecraft discoveredthey’re inbound distance the increase at will which of DNCsnumber found every year, but LSST probably won’t increase the the targetthe found is - stable location location stable LSST DNC can wait wait can L2 until is to M. Kr ó likowska & P.& A. Dybczynski 2019, 2019, arXiv 1901.01722

LSST Project/NSF/AURA

Comet Interceptor • • • • Profile Mission including including much closer to nucleus Released Released Mothership with remote sensing payload, distant ‘safe’ flyby (few 1000km) Short cruise and fast flyby 1near AU ground Mission ‘parked’ at L2 after launch, waits for new target discovery by LSST or other - based surveybased (2 subspacecraft - take instruments on different trajectories through coma, 3 years) 6

Comet Interceptor • • Solu,ons • • • • Challenges of previousof missions Mission to a short period comet will also carry out new science: not a repeat suitable Ifno target found, backupcometsperiod short identified years ~3 to limited therefore L2 at Wait years <5 be should entirethat mission Costmeans design for this case worst in >70km/s speeds flyby mean could orbits Retrograde trajectories:rangewide encounterof geometries and speeds Mission has to be designed to encounter comets on a wide range of possible scenari o – have to

Comet Interceptor New Science • • EnergeticNeutralAtoms effects. temporal separation of spatial and plasma: including cometaryof environment, Multi comet a at processes exchange wind first solar observations of - - neutral charge pointmeasurements : • single flyby nucleus and coma from a of structure 3D reveal fromthree spacecraD nucleus: cometary viewsMul:ple of views including polarimetry, including • polarimetric All • neutralgas, ion and • Entire Multispectral and - sky viewsky dust,of Visible Sky Visible features features mapper EnVisS

: Comet Interceptor orbital control systems. orbitalcontrol andstabilized, attitude no B2will spacecraft spinbe sub minimizecost, simplicityFor andto - - Comet Interceptor Comet Interceptor LASP,U. Colorado, USA institutions, listed in no particular order: listedinstitutions, no in particular The CometThe Interceptor teaminternational an comprises group of Mission Proposal Lead Deputy MIssion Team U. Cranfield, UK Cranfield, U. Wigner RCP,Wigner HU U. U. U. Leuven, BE Leuven, U. IAP U. Tartu, EE Tartu, U. CH Bern, U. U. Kent, UK Kent, U. Karlova NASA, USA NASA, U. Aalto, FI Aalto, U. OEAW, AT Proposal Lead HAS, HU - CAS, CZ CAS, CZ VTT, FI ESO , CZ , : : Prof. Geraint UCL Jones, TU Braunschweig, DE Braunschweig, TU U. Maryland, USA Maryland, U. LPC2E, CNRS,FR LPC2E, BIRA U. Helsinki, FI Helsinki, U. Obs. Paris, FR Birkbeck, UK Rikkyo UTINAM, FR PPPL, USA PPPL, IRF MPS, DE MPS, RAL, UK RAL, KTH,SE IAA, ES IAA, LTU, SE LTU, - : : Dr. Colin Snodgrass, University of Edinburgh, UK IASB, BE IASB, - U, SE U, U., JP U., Mullard U. Hawai’i, USA Hawai’i, U. Tokyo, U. CNR MSSL UK QMUL, UK Glasgow, U. UK Imperial, INAF,IT UK Oxford, U. SSI, USA IT Padova, U. OU, UK IRF QUB, UK DE Braunschweig, TU IRAP,FR - K, SE K, - IFN, IT IFN, - UCL, UK UCL, JP Space Science Laboratory, Science Space UK scientists and engineers and scientists at following the

Comet Interceptor Interested? USinvolvement • • proposal will make it clear that such a contribution is possible if mass allows. Several Possibility US - of based scientists already involved in the proposal. a NASA - funded cubesat not part Expression of [email protected] the http:// of websit the www.cometinterceptor.space baseline e @ support cometintercept mission, mission, & can [email protected] be noted but / via

Comet Interceptor