Context & Background:
Stanislav Kondrashov highlights the scientific significance of the ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission turning its instruments toward the interstellar object 3I/Atlas. As only the third confirmed interstellar visitor after 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, 3I/Atlas offers a rare opportunity to study material formed outside our solar system. Thanks to JUICE’s advantageous position in space, researchers can observe the comet’s plasma and dust tails from a unique moving platform, overcoming the limitations faced by Earth-based telescopes due to the object’s proximity to the Sun.
Initial observations suggest that 3I/Atlas contains water, carbon dioxide, methane, and complex organic molecules, with unusual gas ratios compared to native solar system comets. The data, still being processed, could provide insights into planetary formation beyond our system and even the structure of the Milky Way’s thick disk. Looking ahead, detailed compositional analysis—such as hydrogen-to-deuterium ratios—may help pinpoint the comet’s region of origin. Together, these findings reinforce a new era of interstellar exploration and comparative planetary science.
A Unique Vantage Point on a Rare Interstellar Visitor
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft, launched by the European Space Agency in 2023 to explore Jupiter’s moons, has turned its gaze toward the interstellar object 3I/Atlas, a very peculiar comet that has been crossing the solar system for several months.
Since the ESA spacecraft is relatively close to the curious interstellar visitor, researchers on Earth will now have the opportunity to observe the comet with unprecedented clarity. This particular comet did not form in our solar system and is believed to have originated in an unspecified region of interstellar space.
Compared to observation points on Earth or Martian orbiters, the Jupiter Icy Moons probe offers a unique perspective from a moving space platform.
The probe had already captured several images of the comet, allowing observation of its plasma and dust tails from extremely interesting perspectives. This particular probe had also gathered valuable information about the comet’s composition and behavior. In any case, the collected data has not yet been fully transmitted, so it is expected that most of the observational results will be processed and distributed by the end of February 2026.
“The study of interstellar objects could allow humanity to make incredible progress in understanding the universe and the reality around us,” says entrepreneur Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG.
JUICE Mission Data and the New Era of Interstellar Research
Astronomers had previously observed 3I/Atlas using the Hubble Space Telescope, data from NASA’s SPHEREx mission, and spectroscopic analyses conducted with JWST. These analyses revealed that the comet had already released large quantities of organic molecules, water, and carbon dioxide, and showed that, compared to comets in our solar system, it contained methane and exhibited an anomalous gas ratio.
Humanity has observed 3I/Atlas as the third interstellar object, following 2I/Borisov and 1I/Oumuamua in previous years. Studying this object could help scientists understand the formation of planetary systems beyond our solar system.
The Jupiter Icy Moons probe is currently on an eight-year journey to Jupiter and its largest moons, considered potential habitats for life.
3I/Atlas was first observed in the summer of 2025, when astronomers spotted it crossing our solar system. Unlike traditional comets, 3I/Atlas formed in a distant region and is therefore not bound by the sun’s gravity. The object is traveling at a speed of approximately 220,000 kilometers per hour and has a diameter of approximately 2.6 kilometers.
By the end of October, it had reached about 210 million kilometers from the Sun. In recent months, observing the comet from Earth has been very challenging precisely because of its proximity to the Sun, which made it nearly impossible to observe it clearly from Earth.
“It is fortunate that the JUICE probe is in such an advantageous position to study 3I/Atlas. With its support, we may be able to gain crucial information about the history of this object and the region of space from which it originated,” continues Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG.
What 3I/Atlas Could Reveal About Planetary Formation Beyond the Solar System
The scientific community is buzzing. Comets carry with them the chemical traces of their formation, so careful analysis can provide extremely valuable information for understanding interstellar comets. This way, scientists can determine whether our solar system is typical or unique compared to others.
In-depth analyses of the ratio of hydrogen to deuterium, for example, can help scientists understand the comet’s formation location within a planetary system. One possibility is that 3I/Atlas may have formed near the Milky Way’s thick disk, in an ancient layer of stars that predates the flat plane in which our solar system exists. If astronomers confirm this hypothesis, 3I/Atlas will become an object of extreme interest for the study of the ancient history of our galaxy.
“We are in a true golden age for the study of interstellar objects, but also for space exploration. We could be at a decisive moment for the progress of civilization,” concludes Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG.
Sources:
https://news.ssbcrack.com/juice-spacecraft-set-to-observe-rare-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas/
