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| Mission type | Heliosphere science, planetary flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | Chinese National Space Administration |
| Mission duration | 25 years (planned) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Proposed: May 2024[1][2] |
| Flyby ofEarth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | October 2025[2] |
| Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | December 2027[2] |
| Flyby ofJupiter | |
| Closest approach | March 2029[2] |
| Flyby of50000 Quaoar (proposed)[3] | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Distance | TBD |
| Mission type | Heliosphere science, planetary flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | Chinese National Space Administration |
| Mission duration | 25 years (planned) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Proposed: May 2024[1][4] |
| Flyby ofEarth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | May 2027[2] |
| Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | March 2032[2] |
| Flyby ofJupiter | |
| Closest approach | May 2033[2] |
| Flyby ofNeptune | |
| Closest approach | January 2038[2] |
| Distance | 1,000 km |
| Flyby ofTriton | |
| Closest approach | January 2038[2] |
| Distance | TBD |
| Flyby of Kuiper belt object (TBD) | |
| Closest approach | TBD[2] |
| Distance | TBD |
Shensuo (Chinese:神梭), formerlyInterstellar Express,[5] is a proposedChinese National Space Administration program designed to explore theheliosphere andinterstellar space.[3] The program will feature two or threespace probes that were initially planned to be launched in 2024 and follow differing trajectories to encounterJupiter to assist them out of the Solar System. The first probe,IHP-1, will travel toward the nose of the heliosphere, possibly performing a flyby of50000 Quaoar on the way, while the second probe,IHP-2, will fly near to the tail, skimming byNeptune andTriton in January 2038.[6][2][7] There may be another probe—tentativelyIHP-3—which would launch in 2030 to explore to the northern half of the heliosphere.[1][8]IHP-1 andIHP-2 would be the sixth and seventh spacecraft toleave the Solar System, as well as first non-NASA probes to achieve this status.
The heliosphere and the interstellar medium have so far been explored by only three NASA probes:Voyager 1,Voyager 2, andNew Horizons. BothVoyagers used gravity assists to take them out of the plane of the ecliptic:Voyager 1 to the north withSaturn in 1980, andVoyager 2 to the south withNeptune in 1989.New Horizons was designed to stay within the plane to allow for exploration of otherKuiper belt objects. However, none of these probes are exploring the tail of the heliosphere;Pioneer 10, which was headed toward the tail after its Jupiter flyby in 1973, lost contact with Earth in 2003. Later spacecraft which would remain within theSolar System, such asCassini–Huygens, have gathered valuable data on the heliosphere and how it interacts with the interstellar medium, suggesting that the heliosphere is not shaped like a comet but is rather spherical.
Each probe is to weigh about 200 kilograms, to useradioisotope thermoelectric generators for power, and to carry 50 kilograms or more of scientific instruments such as optical cameras, magnetometers, dust detectors, and neutral atom and particle payloads.[1][3][2] They will also study anomalouscosmic rays, interplanetary dust, and the interstellar medium.[6] Depending on whether monopropellant or ion propulsion is used, the probes would be launched using eitherLong March 3B orLong March 5 rockets.[3][1] WhileIHP-1 andIHP-2 will use RTGs for power,IHP-3, if approved, would use a nuclear reactor.[1][8]
Thedwarf planetQuaoar and its moonWeywot are currently being considered as potential flyby targets forIHP-1.[2][1]Centaur exploration has also been considered for both probes.[1][6]
While a 2024 launch date was targeted, theCOVID-19 pandemic has caused some delays, which rendered it to launch at a later date. Future dates of May 2025 and 2026 launches have already been considered forIHP-2, and it is possible thatIHP-1 could be moved to those as well.[9]
The probes are proposed to carry the following suite of instruments:[10]
| Instrument | Dimension, range, resolution |
|---|---|
| Vector AtomicMagnetometer | Electromagnetic radiation: 8–70 000 nT; sensitive to 0.001–0.05 nT/Hz1/2, accurate to 0.005–3 nT |
| Plasma Analyzer | Plasma wave observations: 0.005–30 keV, resolution 8% |
| Pick-up Ion Analyzer | Ion counter: 0.002–40 keV/e, energy resolution 5%; mass resolution of H+, He+, He2+, N+, O+, Ne+ |
| High Energy Particle Analyzer | Ionization analysis: Protons, 7–300 MeV Electrons, 200 keV – 10 MeV Heavy ions, 10 – 300 MeV/n |
| Energetic Particle Analyzer | Ionization analysis: Protons, 20 keV – 7 MeV Electrons, 20 keV – 400 keV Heavy ions, 0.5 – 20 MeV/n |
| Energetic Neutral Atom Analyzer | Images emission of energetic neutral atoms; ~1–100 keV H |
| Dust Particle Analyzer | Dust analysis: 400 cm2 area, 10−17–10−9 kg range, 1 –103 km/s impact, 10−16–10−13 charge |
| Camera | Narrow-angle: 1200mm focal length, 150mm aperture; 0.78°×1.05° FOV, 40–1000 nm wavelength, 6–8 spectra channels. Mid-angle: 150mm focal length, 37.5mm aperture, 6.28°x8.34° FOV, 460–1000 nm wavelength, 6–8 spectra channels. Wide-angle (4x); 38mm focal length, 20mm aperture, 30°×23.4° FOV, 600–1000 nm wavelength. |
| UV photometer | Ultraviolet mapping: 121.6 nm, 58.4 nm wavelength, 4°x4° FOV. |
| Infrared spectrometer | Infrared mapping:1–16 μm spectrum range, 9 cm−1 spectrum resolution, 0.5° FOV |
The goal of the spacecraft is to have travelled a total of 100 astronomical units by 2049, which is the centennial celebration of thePeople's Republic of China's founding.[3][2]
IHP-1 would've launched in May 2024. In October 2025 it will return to Earth for agravity assist, then loop back in December 2027 for yet another gravity assist. In March 2029 the probe will fly by Jupiter to send it on a trajectory toward the nose of the heliosphere and potentially make observations ofcentaurs or Kuiper belt objects, including the flyby of Quaoar, along the way.[1] By 2049 the probe will be 85 AU away from the Sun.
IHP-2 will launch before May 2026, but it will likewise receive two gravity assists from Earth in May 2027 and March 2032 respectively. The flyby of Jupiter in May 2033 will send it on a path to fly by Neptune in January 2038 at only 1,000 kilometers above its cloud tops. The probe may also release an atmospheric impactor prior to the flyby.[3] After the flybys, the probe will visit a Kuiper belt object, and by 2049 the probe will have traveled 83 AU away from the Sun, heading toward the yet-unexplored tail of the heliosphere.
If launched withTianwen-4, there may be very well a chance for comparative planetology in some form. AfterIHP-2's flyby of Neptune and Triton is performed in 2038,Tianwen-4's Uranus flyby and probe would occur in 2039, andIHP-1's Quaoar flyby would occur in 2040, allowing for comparisons of similar planetary cohorts within a short span of only a few years.[10]
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