Japan's Hayabusa2 Successfully Tests Asteroid Flyby for Defense

WHO:

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is involved in the mission.

Phys.org - The Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 is the subject of the flyby.

WHAT:

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - Hayabusa2 completed a flyby observation of the Torifune asteroid.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The probe was expected to approach as close as 800 meters from the center of Torifune.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The probe traveled at a relative speed of 5 kilometers per second during the flyby.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The mission is part of the Hayabusa2 Extended Mission that began in 2020.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - JAXA confirmed the mission was completed successfully.

WHERE:

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The flyby occurred near the Torifune asteroid.

WHEN:

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The flyby took place at around 6:30 p.m. Japan time on a Sunday.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The probe is expected to arrive at its final target asteroid in 2031.

WHY:

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The aim of the mission is to contribute to "planetary defense" efforts, which involve using probes to alter the trajectory of asteroids that may potentially collide with Earth in the future.

HOW:

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - The probe captured images of the asteroid during the flyby.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - JAXA plans to explain the results of the operation in detail at a news conference.

(UPDATED July 5, 2026 23:22 UTC)

The Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 has successfully completed a flyby observation of the Torifune asteroid, coming as close as 800 meters from its center while traveling at a speed of 5 kilometers per second. This mission, part of the Hayabusa2 Extended Mission that began in 2020, aims to contribute to planetary defense efforts by studying asteroids that could potentially collide with Earth. JAXA plans to share detailed results from this operation at an upcoming news conference, with the probe expected to arrive at its final target asteroid in 2031.