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▼ Hayabusa2 Arrives at Ryugu Asteroid
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Japanese asteroid explorer Hayabusa2 reached a point about 20 kilometers above its target asteroid, Ryugu, at 9:35 a.m. Wednesday, after having left the Earth at the end of 2014, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced Wednesday.
The explorer has traveled a total of about 3.2 billion kilometers on a journey of more than 3½ years to reach the asteroid.
This autumn, Hayabusa2 will land on the surface of Ryugu to collect rocks and other samples for research. Researchers will analyze organic matter believed to be contained in the rocks and try to find clues to the origin of life.
Ryugu orbits between the Earth and Mars, and is currently about 300 million kilometers away from Earth. In the first year after its launch in December 2014, Hayabusa2 circled the sun in the same orbit as Earth in order to examine the performance of its ion engine system for acceleration. In December 2015, Hayabusa2 performed a swing-by using the Earth’s gravity to accelerate and then shifted to Ryugu’s orbit to chase the asteroid.
For the next 2½ years after that, Hayabusa2 gradually reduced its distance from Ryugu while accelerating from time to time, and stopped its ion engine on June 3. Since then, the explorer slowed down while adjusting its course and was confirmed Wednesday to have arrived at about 20 kilometers above Ryugu, according to JAXA.
Hayabusa2 will carry out a thorough observation to determine the shape and gravity of Ryugu and narrow down possible touchdown locations. Exploration will be conducted on three occasions from this autumn to spring next year, in which rock fragments and other samples will be collected from the surface and also underground on the asteroid.
Hayabusa2 will leave Ryugu sometime around November or December 2019 if the mission proceeds smoothly and is set to return to Earth at the end of 2020.
Researchers relieved, ready
Even as JAXA researchers on the Hayabusa2 mission wore expressions of relief, they braced for upcoming activities. With Hayabusa2 scheduled to start collecting rocks and other samples from the asteroid this autumn, one of the researchers said, “The real stage is just about to begin.”
In the wake of Hayabusa2’s arrival near Ryugu, Makoto Yoshikawa, 56, JAXA’s mission manager, told reporters: “We have finally reached this point. We are relieved.”
Early in the morning on Wednesday, Hayabusa2 blasted its engine to reduce its speed in order to keep traveling within the same distance of Ryugu. Later, JAXA confirmed at 9:54 a.m. that Hayabusa2 had arrived at a point near the asteroid.
Work will continue to set Hayabusa2 over at a point about 20 kilometers from the asteroid in a stable position. Yoshikawa said: “We will finally enter a decisive phase. We are on the verge of a tense and exciting moment.”
The explorer has traveled a total of about 3.2 billion kilometers on a journey of more than 3½ years to reach the asteroid.
This autumn, Hayabusa2 will land on the surface of Ryugu to collect rocks and other samples for research. Researchers will analyze organic matter believed to be contained in the rocks and try to find clues to the origin of life.
Ryugu orbits between the Earth and Mars, and is currently about 300 million kilometers away from Earth. In the first year after its launch in December 2014, Hayabusa2 circled the sun in the same orbit as Earth in order to examine the performance of its ion engine system for acceleration. In December 2015, Hayabusa2 performed a swing-by using the Earth’s gravity to accelerate and then shifted to Ryugu’s orbit to chase the asteroid.
For the next 2½ years after that, Hayabusa2 gradually reduced its distance from Ryugu while accelerating from time to time, and stopped its ion engine on June 3. Since then, the explorer slowed down while adjusting its course and was confirmed Wednesday to have arrived at about 20 kilometers above Ryugu, according to JAXA.
Hayabusa2 will carry out a thorough observation to determine the shape and gravity of Ryugu and narrow down possible touchdown locations. Exploration will be conducted on three occasions from this autumn to spring next year, in which rock fragments and other samples will be collected from the surface and also underground on the asteroid.
Hayabusa2 will leave Ryugu sometime around November or December 2019 if the mission proceeds smoothly and is set to return to Earth at the end of 2020.
Researchers relieved, ready
Even as JAXA researchers on the Hayabusa2 mission wore expressions of relief, they braced for upcoming activities. With Hayabusa2 scheduled to start collecting rocks and other samples from the asteroid this autumn, one of the researchers said, “The real stage is just about to begin.”
In the wake of Hayabusa2’s arrival near Ryugu, Makoto Yoshikawa, 56, JAXA’s mission manager, told reporters: “We have finally reached this point. We are relieved.”
Early in the morning on Wednesday, Hayabusa2 blasted its engine to reduce its speed in order to keep traveling within the same distance of Ryugu. Later, JAXA confirmed at 9:54 a.m. that Hayabusa2 had arrived at a point near the asteroid.
Work will continue to set Hayabusa2 over at a point about 20 kilometers from the asteroid in a stable position. Yoshikawa said: “We will finally enter a decisive phase. We are on the verge of a tense and exciting moment.”
- June 28, 2018
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