I had totally forgotten about the Japanese satellite mission to an asteroid, Hayabusa2. I had to look up when it was launched: December 2014. That 3+ year gap contributes to my nearly forgetting about it.
But it's time for Hayabusa2 to do what it was launched for, which is to go into orbit around an asteroid (named Ryugu) and drop four probes onto it (three rovers, which will literally hop around, and a four-instrument lander). Then it is planning to drop an impactor, get the asteroid stuff released by the impact, examine what the impact excavated, and then Hayabusa2 will bring the samples back.
Ambitious. And it's almost crunch time - literally.
Japan's Hayabusa2 Asteroid Probe Snaps Best Pics Yet of Its Target Ryugu
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| The pictures show that Ryugu really is shaped like this |
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