 | |
| Mission type | Comet flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA / JAXA |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | ≈ 5 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Comet Interceptor |
| Launch mass | Approx. 850 kg (1,870 lb).[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2029 (planned)[2] |
| Rocket | Ariane 62 |
| Launch site | Kourou ELA-4 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Flyby of a long-period comet yet to be selected | |
| |
The Comet Interceptor is a robotic spacecraft mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA) planned for launch in 2029.[2] The spacecraft will be "parked" at the Sun-Earth L2 point and wait for up to three years for a long-period comet to fly by at a reachable trajectory and speed.
The Principal Investigator is Geraint Jones, from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom. The maximum cost of the spacecraft bus is set at €150M, excluding science instruments and launch services.[1]
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b "Comet Interceptor construction moves forward". ESA. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.