Robotic explorer to orbit Ryugu asteroid in final mission for Japan's Hayabusa2
The Hayabusa2 on Thursday released a robotic explorer bound for the surface of an asteroid in the probe's final task before returning to earth, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said. The Minerva-II2, a small rover attached to Hayabusa2, began its descent toward the surface ...
Asteroid images from probe dropped off by Hayabusa offer clues on planet formation
Photographs snapped by a shoebox-sized probe that explored the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu offer new clues about its composition — insights that are expected to help scientists understand the formation of our solar system. The German-French Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) was dropped off by Japan's ...
“We’ve collected a part of the solar system’s history,” Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency project manager Yuichi Tsuda said at a jubilant news conference.
JAXA finds 10 more artificial craters made on Ryugu asteroid by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Thursday that 10 smaller, man-made craters had been found on an asteroid in addition to the larger crater its Hayabusa2 space probe produced last month as part of its mission to gain insight into the origin of life ...
Japan's Hayabusa2 probe succeeds in blasting out first man-made crater on an asteroid
Scientists have succeeded in creating what they called the first-ever artificial crater on an asteroid, a step toward shedding light on how the solar system evolved, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Thursday. The announcement comes after the Hayabusa2 probe fired an explosive device April ...
Japan's Hayabusa2 probe drops explosive payload and blasts crater in asteroid Ryugu
A Japanese probe on Friday successfully launched an explosive device at an asteroid to blast a crater in its surface, from which it is planned to scoop up material that could shed light on how the solar system evolved. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) ...
Fingers crossed, Japan's Hayabusa2 probe to finally land on rugged Ryugu asteroid on Feb. 22
A Japanese probe sent to examine an asteroid in order to shed light on the origins of the solar system is expected to land on the rock later this month, officials said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the Hayabusa2 probe is expected to ...
JAXA says landing-site selection for Hayabusa2's touchdown on Ryugu asteroid is in the final stage
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is searching for a suitable site on the Ryugu asteroid that it can safely land its Hayabusa2 spacecraft as early as late this month. The space agency had to abandon its first touchdown attempt that had been scheduled for ...
Asteroid touchdown by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe postponed to January
Japan's space agency said Thursday it will postpone space probe Hayabusa2's touchdown on the Ryugu asteroid to around late January from October due to the difficulty in finding a good landing site. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the surface of the asteroid, about 300 ...
Japan space probe Hayabusa2 launches new robot onto Ryugu asteroid
A Japanese probe launched a new observation robot toward an asteroid on Wednesday as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system. The Hayabusa2 probe launched the French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, toward the Ryugu asteroid's surface, ...
A Japanese space-exploring craft arrived near an asteroid Wednesday after a 3½-year, 3.2 billion-kilometer journey to undertake a first-ever experiment: Blow a crater in the rocky surface to collect samples and bring them back to Earth. The unmanned Hayabusa2 spacecraft reached its base of operations ...
