Japanese probe images asteroid Ryugu

By Laurel Kornfeld | Jun 20, 2018

Just days away from its target, asteroid Ryugu, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has captured the most detailed photos yet of the 3,000-foot-wide (900-meter) rocky object.

Launched in 2014, Hayabusa2 is scheduled to arrive at its destination on June 27 and enter orbit around it next month. The spacecraft will deploy three rovers and a lander on Ryugu's surface and collect samples that will be returned to Earth for analysis.

Ryugu will be drop the rovers and lander from a height of 12.5 miles (20 km) between September of this year and July 2019.

Hayabusa2 will also release an impactor to hit the asteroid, creating a crater from which samples will be collected and returned to Earth in 2020.

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https://thespacereporter.com/article.php?n=japanese-probe-images-asteroid-ryugu&id=152583