The environment of a comet is a fascinating and unique laboratory to study plasma
processes and the formation of structures such as shocks and discontinuities from electron …

Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the
exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System …

Context. The direction of the interplanetary magnetic field determines the nature of the
interaction between a Solar System object and the solar wind. For comets, it affects the …

Exocomets are small bodies releasing gas and dust which orbit stars other than the Sun.
Their existence was first inferred from the detection of variable absorption features in stellar …

Average flow patterns of ions around comet 67P detected by the RPC-ICA instrument
onboard Rosetta are presented both as a time series and as a spatial distribution of the …

Context. Solar wind charge-changing reactions are of paramount importance to the physico-
chemistry of the atmosphere of a comet. The ESA/Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov …

Despite the long escort by the ESA Rosetta mission, direct observations of a fully developed
bow shock around 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko have not been reported. Expanding on …

Context. The ESA Rosetta probe has not seen direct evidence of a fully formed bow shock at
comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P). Ion spectrometer measurements of cometary …

A comet flyby, like the one planned for ESA's Comet Interceptor mission, places stringent
requirements on spacecraft resources. To plan the time line of in situ plasma and neutral gas …

Context. In past decades, several spacecraft have visited comets to investigate their plasma
environments. In the coming years, Comet Interceptor will make yet another attempt. This …