Accordingly, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is said to be planning to test reusing the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft to intercept two distant asteroids moving quickly towards Earth.
Launched in 2014, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft landed twice on asteroid 1999 JU3 (also known as Ryugu), more than 300 million kilometers from Earth, in 2018. It surveyed the space rock for about 18 months. Hayabusa2 then fired projectiles at the asteroid's surface and collected samples that were thrown off.
The spacecraft sent samples back to Earth via a capsule that landed in the Australian Outback in 2020. Scientists are still examining the samples for clues about the origins of the universe.
Japan plans to steer small asteroids away from Earth. (Photo: TS2.space)
After the spacecraft successfully completed its primary mission, JAXA engineers announced in December 2020 that they would use the remaining xenon propellant to enable Hayabusa-2 to make a flyby of asteroid 2002 CC21 (about 500 meters in diameter and 12.4 million kilometers from Earth) in July 2026, before continuing to its final destination, asteroid 1998 KY26.
A nearly spherical asteroid, 1998 KY26 is 30 meters in diameter and is currently orbiting the Sun at a minimum distance of about 374,000 kilometers from Earth. JAXA said the spacecraft is expected to encounter the asteroid in 2031.
In both flyby missions, Jaxa hopes to use technology via its Hayabusa2 spacecraft to deflect asteroids. The agency also plans to have Hayabusa-2 attach a target marker to asteroid 1998 KY26 in an effort to better understand such objects.
“ Many small asteroids of similar size exist in space and are predicted to collide with Earth every 100 to 1,000 years, causing significant damage. Therefore, Hayabusa-2 will undertake the mission of intercepting and deflecting asteroids that are on their way to attack Earth, ” JAXA said.
HUYNH DUNG (Source: SCMP/Independent)
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