Japan's space agency confirms Hayabusa2 space probe mission was successful
Baku, July 6, AZERTAC
Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe successfully made a close flyby of the asteroid Torifune, the country's space agency said Monday, releasing an image taken during the mission, according to Kyodo.
The flyby observation mission, which required highly accurate navigation, was completed at around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, with data collected using four types of instruments including an optical camera, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
"I'm just utterly moved that it was able to take such a beautiful image. I have goosebumps," said Yuya Mimasu, head of the operations team, during a press conference.
While the plan was for the spacecraft to pass approximately 800 meters from the center of Torifune, its actual distance will have to be confirmed after further analysis.
Torifune, which is about 100 million kilometers from Earth, appears to be peanut-shaped and seems to have been formed by two asteroids.
Hayabusa2, launched in 2014, arrived at the asteroid Ryugu, more than 300 million km away, and during a flyby of Earth in 2020 released a sample capsule containing 5.4 grams of surface material that landed in Australia.
Using its remaining fuel, Hayabusa2 began an extended mission and has traveled some 10.7 billion km since 2014.
According to JAXA, Hayabusa2 will continue flying, and is scheduled to reach its next target, the asteroid 1998 KY26, in 2031.
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