JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

(Courtesy of Akihiro Ikeshita)	Hayabusa2 to clarify the origin and evolution of the solar system as well as life matter Asteroid Explorer “Hayabusa2” is a successor of “Hayabusa” (MUSES-C), which revealed several new technologies and returned to Earth in June 2010. While establishing a new navigation method using ion engines, Hayabusa brought back samples from the asteroid “Itokawa” to help elucidate the origin of the solar system. Hayabusa2 will target a C-type asteroid “Ryugu” to study the origin and evolution of the solar system as well as materials for life by leveraging the experience acquired from the Hayabusa mission. To learn more about the origin and evolution of the solar system, it is important to investigate typical types of asteroids, namely S-, C-, and D-type asteroids. A C-type asteroid, which is a target of Hayabusa2, is a more primordial body than Itokawa, which is an S-type asteroid, and is considered to contain more organic or hydrated minerals -- although both S- and C- types have lithologic characteristics. Minerals and seawater which form the Earth as well as materials for life are believed to be strongly connected in the primitive solar nebula in the early solar system, thus we expect to clarify the origin of life by analyzing samples acquired from a primordial celestial body such as a C-type asteroid to study organic matter and water in the solar system and how they coexist while affecting each other.

(Courtesy of Akihiro Ikeshita)

Hayabusa2 to clarify the origin and evolution of the solar system as well as life matter

Asteroid Explorer “Hayabusa2” is a successor of “Hayabusa” (MUSES-C), which revealed several new technologies and returned to Earth in June 2010.
While establishing a new navigation method using ion engines, Hayabusa brought back samples from the asteroid “Itokawa” to help elucidate the origin of the solar system. Hayabusa2 will target a C-type asteroid “Ryugu” to study the origin and evolution of the solar system as well as materials for life by leveraging the experience acquired from the Hayabusa mission.
To learn more about the origin and evolution of the solar system, it is important to investigate typical types of asteroids, namely S-, C-, and D-type asteroids. A C-type asteroid, which is a target of Hayabusa2, is a more primordial body than Itokawa, which is an S-type asteroid, and is considered to contain more organic or hydrated minerals -- although both S- and C- types have lithologic characteristics. Minerals and seawater which form the Earth as well as materials for life are believed to be strongly connected in the primitive solar nebula in the early solar system, thus we expect to clarify the origin of life by analyzing samples acquired from a primordial celestial body such as a C-type asteroid to study organic matter and water in the solar system and how they coexist while affecting each other.

Project Topics

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Dec. 21, 2021 Updated

Ryugu is a primitive asteroid rich in water and organic matter: A first look at the unprocessed carbonaceous asteroid sample returned by Hayabusa2, published in Nature Astronomy

The first results from the initial description of the sample from asteroid Ryugu returned by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft have been published in the British online journal, Nature Astronomy (December 21, 2021 JST). Click here for details: Ryugu is a primitive asteroid rich in water and organic matter - A first look at the unprocessed carbonaceous asteroid sample returned by Hayabusa2 - A first look at the composition of the sample from asteroid Ryugu with t...

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Press Release

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May 25, 2021 (09:30) [release]

Discovery of the most primitive boulders on Ryugu: Observational results from the asteroid explorer, Hayabusa2, published in Nature Astronomy
Dec. 15, 2020 (17:45) [release]

Confirmation of the sample collected during the first touchdown on asteroid Ryugu by asteroid explorer, Hayabusa2

Characteristics of Asteroid Explorer "Hayabusa2"

Establishing deep space exploration technology and new challenges

Hayabusa2 will utilize new technology while further confirming the deep space round-trip exploration technology by inheriting and improving the already verified knowhow established by Hayabusa to construct the basis for future deep-space exploration. The configuration of Hayabusa2 is basically the same as that of Hayabusa, but we will modify some parts by introducing novel technologies that evolved after the Hayabusa era. For example, the antenna for Hayabusa was in a parabolic shape, but the one for Hayabusa2 will be flattened. Also, a new function, “collision device”, is considered to be onboard to create a crater artificially. An artificial crater that can be created by the device is expected to be a small one with a few meters in diameter, but still, by acquiring samples from the surface that is exposed by a collision, we can get fresh samples that are less weathered by the space environment or heat. Hayabusa2 was launched on December 3, 2014. It should arrive at the C-type asteroid in mid 2018, staying around there for one and half years before leaving the asteroid at the end of 2019 and returning to Earth around the end of 2020.

Hayabusa2 will utilize new technology while further confirming the deep space round-trip exploration technology by inheriting and improving the already verified knowhow established by Hayabusa to construct the basis for future deep-space exploration.
The configuration of Hayabusa2 is basically the same as that of Hayabusa, but we will modify some parts by introducing novel technologies that evolved after the Hayabusa era. For example, the antenna for Hayabusa was in a parabolic shape, but the one for Hayabusa2 will be flattened. Also, a new function, “collision device”, is considered to be onboard to create a crater artificially. An artificial crater that can be created by the device is expected to be a small one with a few meters in diameter, but still, by acquiring samples from the surface that is exposed by a collision, we can get fresh samples that are less weathered by the space environment or heat.
Hayabusa2 was launched on December 3, 2014. It should arrive at the C-type asteroid in mid 2018, staying around there for one and half years before leaving the asteroid at the end of 2019 and returning to Earth around the end of 2020.

Major Characteristics

* Click to see larger image.

Size	Main structure: 1.0m x 1.6m x 1.4m / Paddle span: 6.0m
Mass	Approx. 600kg
Target body	Ryugu (C-type, Near Earth Object)
Orbit	Round trip between Earth and an asteroid
Scheduled arrival at destination	2018
Scheduled return to Earth	2020
Duration of stay at the asteroid	about 18 months
Major onboard instruments	Sampler mechanism, Re-entry capsule, Laser ranging (LIDAR, light detection and ranging), Scientific mission equipment (near infrared and thermal infrared), Impactor, Rover (MINERVA-II)
Launch Date	December 3, 2014
Launch Vehicle	H-IIA Launch Vehicle No.26
Location	Tanegashima Space Center