Solar system research prospects for the decade and beyond

Abstract

Our solar system, consisting of the Sun, planets, Moons, asteroids, and comets, along with gas, dust, ice, and radiation, is a very complex and dynamic system. Globally, planetary, astronomy, and small-body exploration programs have made great strides in understanding the formation and evolution of stellar systems while also providing detailed views of individual bodies. The forthcoming decades offer immense opportunities for planetary exploration from space and observations from ground telescopes that portend to very significantly expand not only the horizons of human exploration but also provide a more fundamental understanding of the evolutionary pathways that led to the myriad diversity in our Solar System. The past, present, and future of the solar system also serve as a Rosetta stone to decipher the physics, chemistry, and biology of the exo-planetary systems. Here, we recommend solar system exploration objectives for the decade and beyond in the context of current global developments in the field and research groups in India.