Hayabusa 2
Asteroid Ryugu Might Actually Be a Dead Comet
In 2014, the Japanese Space Agency JAXA launched the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft to visit asteroid Ryugu. It arrived at the…
Why are Rubble Pile Asteroids Shaped Like Diamonds?
Scientists are fortunate enough to have detailed, close-up views of the near-Earth asteroids Bennu and Ryugu. Both asteroids have a…
OSIRIS-REx Did One Last Close Flyby of Asteroid Bennu. It’s Almost Time to Come Home
After more than two years in orbit around asteroid Bennu, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is ready to come home. It's bringing…
Japan’s Hayabusa 2 Probe Drops Off Bits of an Asteroid and Heads for Its Next Target
Japan's Hayabusa 2 probe zoomed past Earth on December 5th and dropped off a capsule containing bits of an asteroid,…
Hayabusa 2’s Sample is Landing on Earth December 6th
Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is nearly back home, with precious cargo aboard! The sample-return mission departed asteroid Ryugu (162173 Ryugu)…
It’s Time for Hayabusa-2 to Come Home
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is on its way home. The asteroid-visiting, sample-return mission departed asteroid Ryugu (162173 Ryugu) on Wednesday,…
Watch this Amazing Video of Hayabusa 2 Picking Up a Sample from the Surface of Ryugu
A new video shows Japan's Hayabusa 2 sample return spacecraft collecting samples from asteroid Ryugu. The spacecraft has been at…
Hayabusa 2 is the First Spacecraft to Sample the Inside of an Asteroid
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is now the first spacecraft to retrieve a subsurface sample from an asteroid. On July 11th,…
Japanese Rovers are Now on the Surface of an Asteroid, Sending Back Amazing Pictures
The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 recently deployed its rovers to the surface of the asteroid Ryugu, which then sent back some…
Hayabusa 2 to Flyby the Earth Tomorrow
A space-faring friend pays our fair planet a visit this week on the morning of December 3rd, as the Japanese…