Hayabusa2 spacecraft deploys its last rover to asteroid Ryugu

Hayabusa2 spacecraft deploys its last rover to asteroid Ryugu

JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has released MINERVA-II2 with its last rover toward asteroid Ryugu on Thursday, October 3, 2019. The rover is expected to land by October 8 as part of its final mission before returning to Earth, according to Japan Aerospace…

Ion-powered Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrives at asteroid Ryugu

Ion-powered Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrives at asteroid Ryugu

The unmanned Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 has arrived at asteroid Ryugu, currently located 284 million km (176 million miles) away from Earth. The spacecraft will attempt 3 brief touch-and-go landings over the next 18 months to collect samples and return them to…