Project Lyra - Wikipedia

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2024-11-07 19:30:15

Project Lyra is a feasibility study of a mission to interstellar objects such as ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov, initiated on 30 October 2017 by the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is).[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] In January 2022, researchers proposed that a spacecraft launched from Earth could catch up to 'Oumuamua in 26 years for further close-up studies.[ 5] [ 6]

Options suggested by i4is initially (which have now been superseded) for sending a spacecraft to ʻOumuamua within a time-frame of 5 to 10 years were based on a launch in 2021, and required travelling first to Jupiter to conduct a flyby, followed by a close solar flyby at 3 to 10 solar radii, in order to take advantage of the Oberth effect. Subsequent research revealed further launch possibilities, notably in 2030 or 2033, using the same scenario (except the 2030 launch has an additional Vinfinity Leveraging Maneuver), but with a total flight duration of 22 years. Thus, there are still future opportunities for a mission to 'Oumuamua.

Furthermore alternative trajectory options were also explored by i4is, all of which utilized the much less technically challenging Jupiter Oberth rather than the previously assumed Solar Oberth. Launch years for these range between 2026 and 2033, depending on the chosen combination of gravity assists leading up to the Jupiter encounter.

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