"Preparing for 'Oumuamua's Return: The Interstellar Object Explorer (IOE)"

Astronomers have proposed a purpose-built robotic Interstellar Object Explorer (IOE) to study future interstellar objects (ISOs) passing through our Solar System, following the detection of 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. The IOE would aim to determine the composition and nature of ISOs, shedding light on the formation of planetary systems around other stars and the distribution of organic material in the galaxy. With next-generation observatories like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is expected to detect up to 70 ISOs a year, and proposed intercept missions, the study of ISOs is a burgeoning field of astronomical research.