A study of an interstellar object explorer (IOE) mission

Abstract

The first discoveries of Interstellar Objects (ISOs), i.e., small bodies moving through our Solar System on high-speed hyperbolic orbits, occurred in 2017 and 2019, decades after ISOs were first predicted. The scientific value of ISOs is high, as they represent samples, most likely planetesimals, from other solar systems. A significant increase in the rate of ISO discoveries is expected in the late 2020s and in the 2030s owing to the advent of several new observing capabilities enabling more routine ISO detections. Here we investigate how a space mission to reconnoiter an ISO can be designed, including discussions of the scientific objectives and payload for such a mission, its unique mission design aspects, and some preliminary spacecraft and payload considerations, all in support of possible proposals to conduct such a mission in the 2030s.