The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Tuesday that its?unmanned Hayabusa2 probe will observe asteroid Torifune at around at 6:30 p.m. on July 5 as the spacecraft makes a high-speed flyby.
Since returning a capsule to Earth containing sand and other samples from the Ryugu asteroid in December 2020, Hayabusa2 has been on an extended mission to reach a new exploration target, asteroid 1998 KY 26, in July 2031.
As part of the mission, the probe will try to photograph Torifune from a distance of 1 kilometer or less as it passes by at a speed of 5 km per second, JAXA said.
By controlling the trajectory of Hayabusa2 with high precision to bring it as close as possible to Torifune, JAXA also aims to test technology that could help alter the trajectory of an asteroid on a potential collision course with Earth.
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