The orbital component Somerville will perform multiple flybys on a 15-year trajectory to Neptune before finally capture burning into a highly-eccentric orbit; providing deep-space observation windows at apogee and planetary science measurements at perigee.

Remote sensing and in-situ measurements ranging from gamma-ray spectrometry to dust detection will allow a comprehensive understanding of the Neptunian environment, and an optical wavelength telescope will allow deep-space observations to be made outside the zodiacal light interference of the inner Solar System.