The asteroids in particular and the asteroid-comet-dwarf planet continuum in general bear the signature of the birth of the solar system. Their observed properties allow for testing theories regarding the evolution of the solar system's planetary objects and of their prospective development. Additional important insights into this exciting field of research are provided by the laboratory investigations of the samples delivered to the Earth in the form of meteorites and by sophisticated numerical models.
The session will gather researchers of different communities for a better understanding of the evolution and properties of small bodies, ranging from planetesimals or cometesimals to icy moons, and including meteorite parent bodies. It will address recent progresses made on physical and chemical properties of these objects, their interrelations and their evolutionary paths by observational, experimental, and theoretical approaches.
We welcome contributions on the studies of the processes on and the evolution of specific parent bodies of meteorites, investigations across the continuum of small bodies, including comets and icy moons, ranging from local and short-term to global and long-term processes, studies of the surface dynamics on small bodies, studies of exogenous and endogenous driving forces of the processes involved, as well as statistical and numerical impact models for small bodies observed closely within recent space missions (e.g., AIDA, Hayabusa2#, Lucy, New Horizons, OSIRIS-APEX).

The study of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) is essential today, because as they probably have delivered water and prebiotic elements on early Earth, they can also pose a threat to human civilization. The overall majority of the 3000 new-NEA discoveries each year represent small asteroids (< 150 m). Nonetheless, those can still represent a serious menace toward our planet, causing damages on a regional scale. This is why planetary defense is a task concerning the whole of humanity.

This session explores the critical synergies between the three pillars of planetary defense:

- Observations: We’ll discuss the latest advancements in ground-based surveys and space-borne telescopes tasked with finding and tracking potentially hazardous objects and virtual impactors.

- Modelling: We will cover the computational physics of impact effects, orbital mechanics, and the structural analysis of rubble-pile versus monolithic asteroids.

- Space missions: We will review lessons learned from recent missions, such as DART/LICIACube, and look forward to the next generation of spacecrafts, such as Hera, OSIRIS-APEX, RAMSES and DESTINY+.

Carbon-bearing matter with a wide range in molecular size and structure is found throughout our Solar System. It ranges from simple molecules like CO2 in Venus’ atmosphere to complex mixtures of carbonaceous phases found in Titan or on the Martian surface. The widespread nature and diversity of carbon-based molecules leaves us wondering: How did they form and how do environmental processes transform them? Did this chemical complexity emerge in the Solar System or is it inherited from pre-Solar stages – or perhaps a combination of both? Can organic molecules be used to decipher physical conditions, chemical transformations, and formation histories of planetary bodies and of the Solar System itself? How does the inventory of organic matter influence the emergence and evolution of habitable worlds?

Addressing these complex questions requires a multifaceted and collaborative approach. We therefore invite scientists from all backgrounds and disciplines studying carbon chemistry and its evolution, from primitive bodies to rocky planets and habitable worlds. Whether extracting organic molecules from meteorites, observing KBOs with JWST, analyzing the composition of Ceres as measured by Dawn or future missions, investigating ancient Martian lakes with rovers, simulating hydrothermal processes in asteroid parent bodies, or modeling the Venusian clouds … — all are welcome to contribute to this session to help understand the role and fate of carbon-based matter and to pave the way for future space exploration missions.

Electromagnetic scattering phenomena play a key role in determining the properties of Solar System surfaces based on observations using different techniques and in a variety of wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet to the radio. This session will promote a general advancement in the exploitation of observational and experimental techniques to characterize radiative transfer in complex particulate media. Abstracts are solicited on advances in numerical methods to extract relevant information from imagery, photometry, and spectroscopy in solid phase, reference laboratory databases, photometric modeling, interpreting features on planetary surfaces, mixing/unmixing methods, AI and machine learning, software and web service applications.

Observations of Interstellar Objects (ISOs) passing through the solar system allow for the direct examination of planetesimals from other star systems. The passage of the third known interstellar object (ISO), 3I/ATLAS, through the solar system has produced the largest set of spacecraft observations for any comet or ISO to date, with observations were obtained from a total of 24 spacecraft to date, including interplanetary spacecraft, a number of solar probes, and 6 astronomical space telescopes. This session invites presentations on science results from terrestrial and spacecraft observations of all three known ISOs, on how the lessons learned from their observation can be applied to future interstellar targets of opportunity, and on plans for future ISO interceptor missions.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is entering its operational phase and will provide deep, wide, multi-band, and high-cadence observations of the Solar System over a decade-long baseline. While LSST will transform population-level studies, this session extends beyond general survey results and catalog-driven analyses.
The session focuses on contributions that link LSST discoveries to physical interpretation and mission-relevant applications. Emphasis is placed on time-domain observations that constrain activity, surface evolution, fragmentation, rotational, and non-gravitational dynamics, together with their implications for mission planning, including target selection and coordinated follow-up.
Contributions addressing survey-to-mission pathways are particularly encouraged, including methodological advances for extracting physically interpretable, mission-relevant parameters from large time-domain datasets. The session also welcomes studies of rare or non-standard transient phenomena, such as anomalous small bodies, “dark comets,” and statistical searches for compact dark-matter flybys, with emphasis on robust observational constraints.
At the interface between LSST discoveries and mission-enabling applications, the session highlights LSST’s role as a pathfinder for future planetary missions through reflecting the emergence of interconnected, time-domain Solar System science, in which discovery and quantitative physical characterisation increasingly proceed in parallel.

The two small Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, are crucial targets to improve our understanding of planetary system formation and evolution. Their origin remains highly debated, with hypotheses ranging from their gravitational capture as primitive asteroids to their formation through a giant impact.

In the context of the upcoming Japanese led MMX mission, to be launched in autumn 2026, this session invites scientific presentations providing new findings with respect to Phobos and Deimos, or comparative studies with respect to other small bodies of the solar system currently visited by other space missions.
Contributions from various scientific disciplines are invited, including remote sensing, laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and mission science, to investigate the physical and compositional properties of the Martian moons. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, spectroscopic observations, surface morphology, regolith properties, internal structure, orbital dynamics, and space weathering processes. A goal is to further understand the needs and requirements for upcoming observations and to discover interdisciplinary aspects of interest. Special attention will also be given to recently acquired datasets from spacecraft observations, as well as to new mission concepts and instrument developments designed to explore these two bodies. The session seeks to advance our understanding of Phobos and Deimos, providing new insights into their origin.