Abstract
Compared with planets and their moons, small bodies retain the characteristics of their early formation. Therefore small bodies, especially Near Earth Asteroids (NEA), have become one of the most valuable targets in space exploration. This paper presents a review of the current status of small body exploration, including the science objectives, main optical imaging instruments and the main scientific results obtained from the relevant exploration missions in the past two decades. Then, it outlines and discusses future missions to small bodies by different space agencies, including those already planned and under development. Finally, it discusses the trend of optical imaging instrument development for exploring small bodies.
Highlights
Where do we come from? Human beings have yearned to explore the vast and mysterious universe, among which the origin and early evolution history of the solar system [1], the search for life information of the solar system, the disastrous influence of small bodies on the Earth, and the comparative study of various celestial bodies in the solar system are hot issues
In 1978, the United States successfully launched the International Sun-Earth Explorers3 (ISEE-3) spacecraft [9], which served as a prelude to the exploration of small bodies in the solar system
In this paper, we summarized the current situation of small body exploration, including the science objectives, main optical imaging instruments and the main science results obtained in the past two decades, starting from the Hayabusa mission to the OSIRIS-REx mission
Summary
Where do we come from? Human beings have yearned to explore the vast and mysterious universe, among which the origin and early evolution history of the solar system [1], the search for life information of the solar system, the disastrous influence of small bodies on the Earth, and the comparative study of various celestial bodies in the solar system are hot issues. The category of small bodies (including asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, etc.) [2], [3], especially Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA) [4]–[7], is one of the most valuable in recent space exploration. Exploring these bodies is related to the exploration of the origin and evolution of the universe, the material structure, the origin of life and other important basic frontier science issues [8].
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