The Feasibility of a Spacecraft Flyby with the Third Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS from Earth or Mars
Atsuhiro Yaginuma, Tessa Frincke, Darryl Z. Seligman, Kathleen Mandt, Daniella N. DellaGiustina, Eloy Pe\~na-Asensio, Aster G. Taylor, and Michael C. Nolan

TL;DR
This paper assesses the feasibility of spacecraft flybys of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS from Earth or Mars, analyzing transfer trajectories, required delta-V, and mission timing to inform potential observation strategies.
Contribution
It provides detailed calculations of transfer trajectories and delta-V requirements for missions to 3I/ATLAS from Earth and Mars, highlighting feasible mission scenarios and operational challenges.
Findings
Mars launches in mid-2025 require lower delta-V (~5 km/s) for early October flybys.
Earth launches post-discovery need high delta-V (~24 km/s), making them more challenging.
Flyby speeds pose observational and engineering challenges for mission success.
Abstract
We investigate the feasibility of a spacecraft mission to conduct a flyby of 3I/ATLAS, the third macroscopic interstellar object discovered on July 1 2025, as it traverses the Solar System. There are both ready-to-launch spacecraft currently in storage on Earth, such as Janus, and spacecraft nearing the end of their missions at Mars. We calculate minimum single-impulse direct transfer trajectories to 3I/ATLAS both from Earth and from Mars. We consider launch dates spanning January 2025 through March 2026 to explore obtainable and hypothetical mission scenarios. Post-discovery Earth departures require a challenging km s to fly by 3I/ATLAS. By contrast, Mars departures from July 2025 - September 2025 require km s to achieve an early October flyby -- which is more feasible with existing propulsion capabilities. \added{We further…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSpacecraft Dynamics and Control · Astro and Planetary Science · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
