UK-led Comet Interceptor set to launch in 2028

Due to launch in 2028, Comet Interceptor will initially sit at the L2 Lagrange point, 1.5 million miles from the Earth in the opposite direction to the Sun. It will lie in wait at L2 until a suitable pristine comet – or interstellar object such as Oumuamua – is spotted travelling inward from beyond the solar system.

The mothership will then chart a course to intercept its target, passing within 1,000 miles, with two ‘daughter’ spacecraft sent in for closer observations. Each module will be equipped with a complementary science payload, providing different perspectives of the object's nucleus and its gas, dust, and plasma environment. The mothership will relay the findings back to Earth. ESA selected the project as the first in a new class of ‘Fast’ missions, which use existing, flight-proven technology to speed up the pathway from mission concept to implementation.

“I’m delighted that our academic community impressed ESA with a vision of what a small, fast science mission can offer,” said Chris Lee, head of Science Programmes at the UK Space Agency.