Japanese Probe Hayabusa2 Flies Record 400 Meters from Asteroid, Demonstrating Deflection Capability

Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe achieved a world record on July 5, flying just 400 meters above the asteroid Torifune. This close encounter, conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), marks the nearest approach ever recorded for a mission of its kind and serves as a crucial test for planetary defense.

Moving at over 18,000 kilometers per hour, the refrigerator-sized probe passed 400 meters from the asteroid's surface and 744 meters from its center, exceeding JAXA's own projections. JAXA scientist Yuya Mimasu stated that this surpasses all previous asteroid flyby missions globally. A Chinese probe previously held the record, flying 770 meters from an asteroid's surface.

Following the flyby, JAXA released rare, black-and-white images captured by a telescopic camera, revealing Torifune's striking resemblance to a snowman. While its elongated shape was known, detailed features remained unclear until now. The asteroid appears to consist of two rounded objects joined together.

This mission builds on NASA's successful 2022 test, which altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos by intentionally colliding with it. JAXA is also collaborating with the European Space Agency on another planetary defense mission targeting the asteroid Apophis, which is expected to pass near Earth in April 2029. Hayabusa2, launched in 2014, previously collected valuable samples from the asteroid Ryugu, providing insights into the early solar system.

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The results show that, compared to all space probes in the world that have carried out flyby missions, this one passed the closest.