There were not one, but two asteroid encounters this weekend
Summary
Two spacecraft from Japan and China had close encounters with small asteroids this weekend. Japan’s Hayabusa2 flew by the asteroid Torifune, while China’s Tianwen-2 arrived near asteroid Kamoʻoalewa to study it and plan sample collection.Key Facts
- Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission launched in 2014 and first visited asteroid Ryugu in 2018, collecting 5.4 grams of samples.
- Hayabusa2 still has fuel left and is continuing an extended mission to visit more asteroids.
- On Sunday, Hayabusa2 flew within about 10 km of the 450-meter asteroid Torifune.
- Hayabusa2’s next planned flyby is a small asteroid about 11 meters wide expected in July 2031.
- China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft reached within 20 km of asteroid Kamoʻoalewa on July 2.
- Kamoʻoalewa is about 20 meters in diameter and orbits near Earth but is not captured by Earth’s gravity.
- Tianwen-2 will study Kamoʻoalewa, try to collect samples, and aims to return them to Earth by November 2027.
- After the sample return, Tianwen-2 may continue to another asteroid named 311P/PanSTARRS for further study.
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