Hayabusa2 Asteroid Explorer

Hayabusa2 is JAXA flagship deep-space asteroid sample-return mission, launched on December 3, 2014, aboard an H-IIA rocket. The spacecraft traveled to the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu (162173), a C-type carbonaceous asteroid, arriving in June 2018 and conducting detailed observations and sampling operations over 18 months. Hayabusa2 successfully performed two touchdowns on the asteroid surface to collect samples, including a subsurface sample obtained through a controlled impactor that created an artificial crater. In December 2020, the mission returned 5.4 grams of asteroid material to Earth, far exceeding the 0.1-gram target, providing pristine samples of primitive solar system material. The samples have yielded groundbreaking insights into organic compounds, hydrated minerals, and the early solar system chemistry relevant to the origins of life. After releasing its sample capsule, Hayabusa2 continued on an extended mission to encounter additional asteroids in the 2020s and 2030s. The mission is regarded as one of the most successful planetary science endeavors in history.