Hayabusa2 completes 800 meter flyby of asteroid Torifune

A Japanese space probe has successfully performed an exceptionally close flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, testing technology that could one day be used to protect Earth from a potential impact. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft passed the asteroid Torifune on Sunday, July 5, at approximately 6:35 p.m. Japan Standard Time, while traveling at a speed exceeding 18,000 kilometers per hour.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed the spacecraft is operating normally following the maneuver. The flyby was designed as a high-speed, close-approach test, with the probe aiming to pass within 800 meters of the asteroid's surface. If confirmed, this would rank as one of the closest-ever flybys of a near-Earth asteroid by a spacecraft.

Scientists described the operation as a critical test of precise orbital guidance, likening the difficulty to hitting a one-yen coin from a distance spanning the length of Japan. The primary goal was to assess whether mission controllers could accurately steer the probe on a trajectory that, if needed in the future, could be used to deflect a hazardous asteroid away from Earth. This mission builds upon the 2022 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) by...