Scientists plot to visit an interstellar object  

Like Oumuamua

Humanity finally has the technological capabilities to detect interstellar objects such as Oumuamua and 2l/Borisov that we have seen in recent years. Interest has therefore increased in the development of a mission that will be able to visit these objects once we locate them.

Interstellar objects are of particular interest since they come from outside the solar system. Oumuamua, for example, had an acceleration that did not match our calculations, leading many to believe that it was an alien craft.

Conversions at the Vera C Rubin Observatory will allow us to detect 1-10 Oumuamua-sized interstellar objects each year. But who would be the right candidate to launch a mission to study them?

Its origin will play an important role. As it is impossible to predict from which angle it will enter the Solar system, it is difficult to say where the “interstellar interceptor” (ISI) should be placed. Scientists believe that the best position is the L2 Lagrange point between the Earth and the Sun, as it has a significant advantage. It will take very little fuel for the ISI to get there and it will probably need to remain on alert there for years.

Once an interstellar object is detected, it will need to act quickly, and it will be assisted by another L2 orbiter, NASA’s Time-domain Spectroscopic Observatory (TSO), a 1.5-meter telescope that will need just a few minutes to photograph the object.

Scientists give an 85% chance of an ISI stationed at L2 being able to find a suitable interstellar object within the next decade. Once ISI approaches the object (provided orbital mechanical conditions permit), it will begin close-in observations with full spectroscopic mapping and monitoring for any gaseous emissions that may explain Oumuamua’s strange orbital motion.