Detalles de publicación

PP 026069

Accessible does not mean exploitable: HiPERCAM reveals the ultra-fast rotation of 2022 OB5

M.R. Alarcon (1,2,3), J. Licandro (1,2), M. Serra-Ricart (1,2,3), D. Garcia-Álvarez (1,4), A. Cabrera-Lavers (1,4)
(1) IAC, (2) ULL, (3) Light Bridges, (4) GRANTECAN
2022 OB5 is a sub-10-metre Apollo-type near-Earth asteroid whose orbital configuration placed it among the most dynamically accessible small bodies in near-Earth space, motivating its selection as the target of the first commercial asteroid-prospecting mission. We present its first photometric characterisation, based on high-cadence simultaneous five-band u,g,r,i,z observations obtained with HiPERCAM at the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). Analysis of the light curves yields a rotation period of P = 1.542 +/- 0.001 min, independently confirmed with observations taken by the Two-meter Twin Telescope, establishing 2022 OB5 as an ultra-fast rotator. The reflectance spectrum derived from the simultaneous multiband photometry is featureless and moderately red, consistent with the X-complex. Despite its good orbital accessibility, the ultra-fast rotation of 2022 OB5 poses severe practical challenges for any surface operation with current technology, regardless of compositional interest. This illustrates a population-level challenge: at the sizes and $\Delta v$ values most favourable for in-situ missions, fast rotation is the dominant spin state, and rotation period measurement is therefore an indispensable prerequisite for evaluating the resource potential of asteroid mission candidates.

 
Aceptado para publicación en Icarus | Enviado el 2026-06-02 | Proyecto P/300004