Japan's Hayabusa2 achieves first-ever laser ranging experiment with an asteroid
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa2 spacecraft reached another milestone this summer, a first for space agencies.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa2 spacecraft reached another milestone this summer, a first for space agencies.
The short version
- On Sunday, July 5, the probe conducted the first successful laser-ranging experiment during a flyby of asteroid Torifune, the first exploration target of Hayabusa2's Extended Mission.
- This latest milestone will advance the capabilities of JAXA and other space agencies as they pursue future missions involving near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and other deep-space objects.
- This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies .
What happened
Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The laser was successfully fired twice, at 6:29 p.m. (2:29 a.m. EDT), 56.5 seconds and 57.5 seconds before the flyby of Torifune, from distances of about 20 km and 15 km (12.5 miles and 9.3 miles), respectively.
Why it matters
This presented many challenges that required advanced preparation by the mission team.
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