The mission was the subject of a study conducted by researchers from the China National Space Agency (CNSA), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the China Atomic Energy Authority, the China Academy of Space Technology, and multiple universities and institutes. The paper that describes their findings (published in the journal SCIENTIA SINICA Technologica) was led by Guobin Yu, a researcher with the School of Astronautics at Beihang University and the Department of Science and Technology and Quality at the CNSA.

As they indicate in their paper, ice giants like Neptune are a potential treasure trove of scientific discoveries. In addition to its fascinating interior structure (which includes diamond rain!), Neptune is believed to have played an important role in the formation of the solar system. In short, its composition includes large amounts of gas that were part of the protostellar nebula from which our system formed. At the same time, its position indicates where the planets formed (and since migrated to their current orbits).

There are also the enduring mysteries of Neptune's largest moon Triton, which astronomers suspect is a planetoid flung from the outer solar system and captured by Neptune's gravity. The arrival of this planetoid is also thought to have caused a shakeup with Neptune's natural satellites, causing them to break up and coalesce to form new moons. It's also theorized that Triton will eventually break up and form a halo around Neptune or collide with it. Basically, the study of Neptune, its satellites, and its orbital dynamics could provide answers to how the solar system formed, evolved, and how life began.