Overview

• An arXiv study led from Luxembourg identifies JUICE, Psyche and Mars orbiters as well placed to observe 3I/ATLAS when Earth- and Earth‑orbiting telescopes cannot, with projected distances of about 68 million km (JUICE), 45 million km (Psyche) and 29 million km (Mars orbiters); the comet passes about 269 million km from Earth on December 19, 2025.
• After a Venus gravity assist on August 31, ESA’s JUICE now has especially favorable geometry near perihelion, and a co-author on the study expects its data to be the most valuable in that window.
• Additional viewing opportunities include SOHO, NASA’s PUNCH mission and Parker Solar Probe, while Europa Clipper, Hera and possibly Lucy could traverse the dust tail, enabling in‑situ sampling if the tail develops in the right direction.
• Southwest Research Institute reports a flyby mission concept that could have intercepted an interstellar comet like 3I/ATLAS, though detailed designs were not released and orbital capture is not feasible with current technology.
• New Gemini South observations from August 27 show a broadened, more active tail, and early spectra suggest gas abundances that deviate from the solar average.