TOKYO: Hayabusa 2 probe successfully flew by and observed asteroid Torifune about 100 million kilometres from Earth, Japan’s space agency said July 6.
JAXA said the probe successfully observed asteroid Torifune during the high-speed encounter. Hayabusa 2 passed the asteroid at 6:30 p.m. Japan time on July 5 at about 18,000 kilometres per hour.
The original plan called for the probe to fly within about 800 meters of Torifune. JAXA officials said the exact closest-approach distance would require further analysis.
Torifune is a near-Earth asteroid with an orbit that brings it close to Earth, according to JAXA officials. The asteroid is as long as 800 meters.
The observation will allow scientists to compare Torifune with other asteroids approached by Hayabusa 2 and its predecessor, including Ryugu and Itokawa.
Hayabusa 2 launched in December 2014 and reached Ryugu, about 280 million kilometres from Earth, in June 2018.
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The probe collected surface sand and rock samples from Ryugu before dropping a capsule off the coast of Australia in December 2020.
JAXA said Hayabusa 2’s extended mission could also support planetary defence by testing high-speed close approaches to asteroids. The probe is now heading for asteroid 1998 KY26 and is expected to reach it in 2031.
