Japan's space agency JAXA is developing an ambitious comet sample return mission called the Next Generation Small-Body Return (NGSR), targeting launch in the 2030s. The mission represents JAXA's next major leap in small-body exploration, aiming to collect pristine samples from a comet nucleus that could provide insights into the early solar system's formation.
The NGSR mission is currently under assessment as a large-class mission and was recently detailed in a paper presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). While specific technical details of the spacecraft design and target comet have not been disclosed, the mission is described as "arguably more difficult" than previous asteroid sample returns due to the challenging nature of comet operations.
The mission timeline places NGSR in the 2030s, following JAXA's upcoming Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission scheduled to visit Phobos and Deimos. This sequencing allows JAXA to build on technologies and operational experience from MMX before tackling the more complex comet rendezvous and sampling mission.
JAXA's track record in small-body exploration includes the historic Hayabusa mission, which returned samples from asteroid Itokawa, and Hayabusa2, which successfully delivered samples from asteroid Ryugu in 2020. The agency's expertise in precision navigation, sample collection, and sample return capsule technology positions it as a leader in solar system exploration alongside NASA and ESA.
Comet sample return missions are considered scientifically valuable because comets preserve materials from the outer solar system's formation 4.6 billion years ago. Unlike asteroids, comets contain volatile compounds and organic materials that could provide clues about the origins of water and life's building blocks on Earth.