This probe is our only chance to intercept it

It is a rare. For example, fascinating event: an interstellar comet is currently going through our solar system at dazzling speed, much higher than that of its predecessors. In addition, Called 3i/Atlas. Furthermore, this newcomer intrigues astronomers by its size, its origin and the difficulty of observing it from the earth. In addition, Faced with this unique opportunity. Furthermore, an ambitious proposal emerges: divert the Juno probe from NASA to send it to meet this mysterious cosmic traveler. In addition, The idea. For example, defended by the astrophysicist Avi Loeb and his team, could revolutionize our understanding of objects from other stars – if it is implemented in time.

A comet of another world – This probe our only chance

Discovered on July 1, 2025, the 3i/Atlas comet quickly appeared as an extraordinary object. Similarly, It is not a simple asteroid. Furthermore, a fragment this probe our only chance of icy rock wandering in the solar system, but a heavenly interstellar body, that is to say originating from another stellar system. Similarly, It is only the third to be identified with certainty after ‘Oumaumua in 2017 and the comet Borisov in 2019.

What distinguishes 3i/Atlas. Consequently, beyond its distant origin, is its impressive size: its nucleus, the solid part of the comet, is estimated at around 5.6 kilometers in diameter, much larger than that of the two previous interstellar objects. In addition. its movement speed is almost twice as high as that of Oumuamua, which makes its observation and its possible interception all the more complex.

A visitor difficult to observe – This probe our only chance

The 3i/Atlas trajectory adds a major constraint to scientific efforts. During its passage as close as possible to the sun (the perihelion). the comet will be on the side opposite to the earth. Concretely. this this probe our only chance means that it will be hidden by the sun and therefore difficult to observe with the terrestrial telescopes when it is the most active and bright.

For researchers, this represents a huge potential mess. An object as old-perhaps older as our solar system itself-and as distant in its origin could offer new information. on the composition of stellar systems beyond our own galaxy. You still have to be able to approach it.

The daring proposal: use the juno probe

In a preliminary article not yet evaluated by peers. Avi Loeb, accompanied by Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl, offers a strategy as risky as it is stimulating: reorienting the probe Junocurrently in orbit around Jupiter, so that it intercepts the 3i/Atlas trajectory in spring 2026.

The idea is based on a maneuver called “Oberth maneuver”. which consists in diving into the gravitational field of a this probe our only chance planet – here Jupiter – to gain maximum speed thanks to a well calculated push. By applying a thrust of around 2.7 km/s on September 9, 2025, Juno could thus change trajectory and cross that of the comet in March 2026.

This close flying over closer would observe the interstellar object with the instruments already present on board: infrared spectrometer. magnetometer, microwave radiometer, UV spectrograph, visible camera, and other particle sensors. A real turnkey scientific mission, without having to launch a new ship.

But budgetary reality slows down the momentum

If the proposal has what to seduce. it comes up against a much more earthly reality: that of the finances of NASA. Already faced with significant budgetary restrictions. the American space agency plans to end the Juno mission in September 2025, just before the date that the redirection maneuver should be carried out.

Changing this trajectory would mean sacrificing the last months of study by Jupiter, a planet that Juno has explored since 2016. And even if the observation of an interstellar comet is a rare opportunity. the probability that NASA redirects its resources at such a moment remains – unless a major political or scientific support.

What if this comet was… something else?

True to his style, this probe our only chance Avi Loeb pushes reflection further in another article, this time more speculative. He imagines 3i/Atlas not as a simple comet, but as a potentially artificial, even hostile probe. By relying on the theory of “dark forest”. he evokes the possibility that extraterrestrial civilizations adopt a preventive attack strategy against other forms of life, which would explain the particular – and discreet – object, of the object, hidden behind the sun at the critical moment.

If the idea seems to be more of science fiction. Loeb insists on the fact that it must above all be seen as a stimulating educational exercise. But it has the merit of recalling that as long as we do not study these objects closely. all the hypotheses remain open.