Two asteroid rendezvous highlight a weekend of space feats by Japan and China
TL;DR
Two asteroid milestones dominated the weekend as Japan's Hayabusa2 performed a close flyby of the peanut-shaped asteroid Torifune during its extended mission, and China's Tianwen-2 arrived within about 20 km of the tiny near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa to begin detailed study with a planned sample return in late 2027, while the mission also contemplates future targets such as 311P/PanSTARRS and a possible 2031 encounter with 1998 KY26 if all goes nominal.
- There were not one, but two asteroid encounters this weekend Ars Technica
- Japan's Hayabusa2 probe captures remarkable photo of a two-headed asteroid 62 million miles away Space
- Japan space probe skims asteroid in test for planetary defense Phys.org
- Hayabusa2 captures images of asteroid Torifune Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
- JAXA’s Hayabusa 2 Space Probe Successfully Conducts Close-Range Flyby of Asteroid Torifune The Japan News
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