The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is currently exploring the implementation of the Next Generation Small-Body Return (NGSR) project, which aims to bring pristine material from comet 289P/Blanpain back to Earth. Envisioned as a flagship JAXA initiative for the 2030s, the mission was introduced in a conceptual report at the 2025 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. The project is notable for its exceptionally long timeline: the launch is targeted for 2034, with arrival at the comet in 2041 and sample return expected no earlier than the late 2040s, likely around 2048.
289P/Blanpain è una cometa antica e di grande interesse scientifico per lo studio dei ‘mattoni’ della vita La cometa è l’obiettivo di una nuova missione dell’agenzia Jaxa. Come si svolgerà la missione? ☄️ 🛰️ 🧬 ℹ️ Scopri di più su Globalscience 👉 shorturl.at/5nN4M
The target, comet 289P/Blanpain, was first recorded by astronomer Jean-Jacques Blanpain on November 28, 1819, but was subsequently considered lost for nearly two centuries until its rediscovery in 2003, when asteroid 2003 WY25 was found to match its calculated orbit. The celestial body has a radius of approximately 160 meters and confirmed its cometary nature through a sudden burst of activity in 2013. The low activity of the comet—manifesting as lower dust and gas ejection velocities—makes 289P/Blanpain a safer target for close-proximity maneuvers compared to more active bodies.
The mission’s scientific objectives are focused on understanding presolar material and interstellar chemistry. Unlike asteroids such as Ryugu, which have endured prolonged radiation exposure, comets spend the majority of their existence far from the Sun, preserving primordial ice and dust within their interiors as evidence of the early Solar System. Successfully returning these samples could provide direct proof that the chemical precursors of life were delivered from interstellar space, while also helping to clarify the mechanisms behind the formation of the outer protoplanetary disk.
The engineering solution for preserving volatile compounds requires a sophisticated cryogenic chain, involving in-situ analysis and freeze-drying of samples before they are placed in a specialized cryogenic clean room upon return. The spacecraft will consist of a Deep Space Orbit Transfer Vehicle (DSOTV) and a specialized landing module which, mirroring the Hayabusa-2 mission, will use a Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) technique to access pristine subsurface material. To study the internal structure, the mission plans to deploy seismometers and use a bistatic radar to search for meter-scale voids.
JAXA possesses extensive experience in sample return missions, including the successful Hayabusa-2 and the current Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) project, which is scheduled for launch in 2026. However, NGSR, with its two-decade cycle from concept to return, raises questions about maintaining political and public support over such a long duration, potentially necessitating international cooperation.
In the context of other astronomical milestones, researchers from UNIBE and UNIGE, working within the NCCR PlanetS framework, used data from the JWST telescope to confirm the absence of dense atmospheres on the planets TRAPPIST-1b and 1c. Professor Brice-Olivier Demory of UNIBE noted that the temperature differences between the day and night sides of these planets exceed 500 degrees Celsius due to the lack of an atmosphere to redistribute energy, a finding that stands in contrast to the long-term, focused planning of the NGSR mission.
