Hayabusa

4 Stories

Historic Asteroid First Was 'Better Than Perfect'

Japan's Hayabusa2 collected underground samples

(Newser) - Japan's space agency says data transmitted from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft indicated it successfully landed on a distant asteroid Thursday and completed its historic mission of collecting underground samples that scientists hope will provide clues to the origin of the solar system. Hayabusa2 had created itself a landing crater in...

Japanese Spacecraft Bombs Asteroid
Japanese Spacecraft
Bombs Asteroid

Japanese Spacecraft Bombs Asteroid

Risky mission to make crater was a success

(Newser) - Japan's space agency says its Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully dropped an explosive designed to make a crater on an asteroid and collect its underground samples to find possible clues to the origin of the solar system. Friday's crater mission was the riskiest for Hayabusa2, as it had to immediately...

Japan's Asteroid Explorer Reaches Its Destination

Its mission involves making a new crater

(Newser) - A Japanese spacecraft arrived at an asteroid Wednesday after a 3.5-year 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 about 12 miles from the asteroid and...

Space Probe Recovered After Mission to Asteroid

Japanese capsule thought to be carrying asteroid dust lands in Australia

(Newser) - Seven years and 4 billion miles miles later, the Hayabusa capsule is almost home—Japanese scientists today began the process of collecting it from the Australian Outback, where it fell to Earth in a fiery shower of light after its trip to the asteroid Itokawa. If it contains fragments of...

4 Stories
Most Read on Newser