Hayabusa 2 Completes Flyby of Asteroid Torifune

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft has completed its primary mission, returning a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December 2020. Launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2014, the mission marked a significant milestone in planetary science, as it became the second spacecraft to collect and deliver material from an asteroid after NASA’s OSIRIS-REx. Hayabusa 2 arrived at Ryugu in June 2018, spending 1.5 years conducting detailed observations, deploying landers, and extracting a subsurface sample using a projectile to penetrate the asteroid’s surface.

The returned sample, containing over 5.4 grams of material, is now under analysis to provide insights into the early solar system’s composition and the potential role of asteroids in delivering water and organic compounds to Earth. Ryugu, a carbon-rich C-type asteroid, is believed to preserve remnants from the solar system’s formation 4.6 billion years ago. Hayabusa 2’s mission also included deploying four rovers and a lander to study Ryugu’s surface and subsurface properties, offering unprecedented data on the asteroid’s structure and environment.

With its primary objectives fulfilled, Hayabusa 2 has embarked on a new trajectory to explore a different asteroid, 1998 KY26, in 2026. The mission’s success underscores advancements in asteroid sampling technology and international collaboration in space exploration, while the Ryugu samples continue to be scrutinized for clues about planetary origins and the building blocks of life.