Japanese probe achieves close asteroid encounter
JAXA’s Hayabusa 2 mission performed a flyby of the near‑Earth asteroid Torifune today, approaching to a distance of about 800 meters from the body’s surface, one of the closest approaches recorded for such an object.
Despite traveling at high relative speed, which makes precise navigation challenging, the spacecraft’s cameras obtained high‑resolution photographs of the rugged, rock‑covered terrain. The images reveal two lobes in contact, confirming earlier ground‑based suspicions that Torifune is a contact‑binary asteroid.
The new visual data substantiate the hypothesis that the asteroid consists of two bodies that have merged and remain touching. Its shape resembles an irregular, double‑headed object, with a surface littered with sizable boulders.
Hayabusa 2, already known for returning samples from asteroid Ryugu, uses this flyby to further characterize Torifune and to refine its trajectory for potential future maneuvers. International research teams are now analysing the data to improve understanding of the formation and evolution of contact‑binary asteroids.
Future mission steps include additional observations of outer‑solar‑system targets and preparation for the spacecraft’s eventual return to Earth, where the findings will inform the design of upcoming exploration missions.