›Uranus beyond Voyager 2 : from recent advances to future missions

Uranus is an enigmatic world of extremes. Archetype of the category of ice giant planets, Uranus displays the most intriguing characteristics, with highly tilted rotation and magnetic axis, complex atmospheric chemistry and dynamics and a very dynamical system of rings and moons. Owing to its far distance from Earth, most of our understanding of this planetary system still relies on key measurements acquired during the Voyager 2 flyby in 1986, completed by regular Earth-based observations since then.

The purpose of the meeting will be to review our current knowledge of Uranus from past measurements, to highlight recent advances and ongoing studies on this planetary environment, and summarize the important unsolved scientific questions together with the key measurements required to address them. The meeting will culminate in discussing the status of future international mission concepts in Europe and in the United States to explore the Uranus System, including updates on feasibility studies and available technologies, together with next Earth-based observing campaigns.

The format of the conference will consist of review and contributed talks on the interior and origins of Uranus, its system of rings and satellites, its atmosphere and ionosphere, its magnetic field and magnetosphere, and on the exploration of the outer heliosphere, with dedicated time for discussion and synthesis. Contributions on Neptune are also welcome, to assess the common questions set by ice giants as a whole.