Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft has achieved the closest asteroid flyby ever performed, marking another milestone for the country’s space program. According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the probe passed only about 400 meters above the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Torifune, collecting valuable scientific data while demonstrating highly precise autonomous navigation.
The flyby took place on July 5, but detailed analysis released afterward confirmed just how close the spacecraft came. Hayabusa2 passed approximately 744 meters from the asteroid’s center, corresponding to roughly 400 meters above its surface—the closest approach ever achieved during an asteroid flyby mission.
During the encounter, the spacecraft captured high-resolution visible and infrared images while also collecting laser ranging data. JAXA said this was the first successful laser distance measurement performed during such an extremely close, high-speed asteroid flyby, significantly improving scientists’ ability to determine the asteroid’s shape, rotation, and orbit.
Researchers say the mission has implications far beyond scientific exploration. The navigation technologies demonstrated during the flyby are expected to contribute to future planetary defense missions, helping engineers develop techniques that could one day alter the trajectory of potentially hazardous asteroids heading toward Earth.
Hayabusa2 has already made space exploration history. Launched in 2014, the spacecraft reached asteroid Ryugu, collected surface samples, and successfully returned them to Earth in 2020. Those samples have provided scientists with valuable insights into the formation of the Solar System approximately 4.6 billion years ago.
The spacecraft’s extended mission is continuing. Its next destination is the tiny asteroid 1998 KY26, where Hayabusa2 is expected to arrive in 2031. Scientists hope the mission will become the world’s first rendezvous with such a rapidly rotating asteroid, further advancing both planetary science and technologies designed to protect Earth from future asteroid threats.
Sources: JAXA, Reuters, The Planetary Society.
