Hayabusa2

Hayabusa2 Ion thruster

Hayabusa2 is a Japanese asteroid exploration mission operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It is a follow-up to the Hayabusa mission, which returned samples from the asteroid 25143 Itokawa to Earth in 2010. Hayabusa2 was launched on 3 December 2014 and aimed to explore the asteroid 162173 Ryugu, a near-Earth object of the Apollo group. The mission's primary goal was to collect samples from Ryugu and return them to Earth for analysis, contributing to our understanding of the solar system's formation and the origin of water and organic molecules on Earth.

Mission Overview

Hayabusa2's journey to Ryugu involved a series of complex maneuvers, including an Earth gravity assist in December 2015, to reach its target in June 2018. Upon arrival, Hayabusa2 conducted a detailed survey of Ryugu's surface, mapping its topography, geology, and mineralogy using a suite of scientific instruments. These instruments included optical navigation cameras, an infrared spectrometer, a laser altimeter, and a thermal infrared imager.

The mission was notable for its deployment of several landers and rovers, including the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French space agency CNES, and the MINERVA-II rovers developed by JAXA. These small robotic explorers provided invaluable data on the asteroid's surface conditions and composition.

Sample Collection

Hayabusa2's sample collection involved two touchdown operations on Ryugu's surface. The first touchdown occurred in February 2019, during which the spacecraft collected surface material using a projectile to disturb the surface and capture the resulting debris. A more ambitious second touchdown in July 2019 targeted a crater that had been previously created by the spacecraft's Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI), allowing the collection of subsurface material that had not been exposed to the space environment.

Return to Earth

After completing its mission objectives, Hayabusa2 left Ryugu in November 2019 and returned to Earth on 5 December 2020. The sample return capsule successfully landed in the Woomera Test Range in Australia, containing precious asteroid samples for scientific analysis. The mission's success marks a significant milestone in planetary science, providing insights into the early solar system and the materials that contributed to terrestrial planet formation.

Scientific Impact

The analysis of Ryugu samples is expected to shed light on the nature of carbonaceous chondrite asteroids, which are believed to be rich in organic compounds and water. These materials are thought to have played a crucial role in the development of life on Earth. By studying these samples, scientists hope to understand the distribution of water and organic molecules in the solar system, the processes that led to their incorporation into planetary bodies, and the history of asteroid impacts on Earth.

Future Missions

Building on the success of Hayabusa2, JAXA has proposed future missions to explore other celestial bodies, including the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. These missions aim to further our understanding of the solar system's evolution and the mechanisms of life's origin.