Just posted on the ol’ arXiv, more engineering than science:
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics > arxiv.org/abs/2601.02533
Hibberd, A. Eubanks, T. M. Catching 3I/ATLAS Using a Solar Oberth
Submitted on 5 Jan 2026
Not only is our object of interest ATLAS from another star system, it’s really hustling. Its hyperbolic velocity alone is enough to (clearly) identify it as non-Solar. Still, might we send a probe to it? A tall order, certainly. Hibberd and Eubanks identify a possible trajectory: perform an Oberth maneuver. You know, a solar flyby- there was an Oberth maneuver in Star Trek IV. In a literal sense, the authors identify it as viable. Spoiler alert: “viable” does not mean practical. They find that, assuming a 2035 launch, the probe would reach ATLAS in ~50 years. Not months, years. The principal investigator, and many other scientists involved, would see their careers end by the time any results come back. That, and the question of a heat shield for the Oberth maneuver is still open.
The real trick would be: 1) earlier detection of new interstellar objects (i. e., Vera Rubin), preferably much earlier, and 2) spacecraft already built in advance. At minimum, a flyby probe would be kept in a ground cleanroom; even better would be space hibernation, like Comet Interceptor.