Hayabusa
Japan's pioneering asteroid sample-return mission, launched as MUSES-C. Hayabusa demonstrated ion propulsion, autonomous optical navigation, asteroid rendezvous and touchdown, and direct sample-capsule return while exploring the S-type asteroid Itokawa.
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Identity
- Aliases
- MUSES-CAsteroid Explorer Hayabusa
- Name
- Hayabusa
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Japan's pioneering asteroid sample-return mission, launched as MUSES-C. Hayabusa demonstrated ion propulsion, autonomous optical navigation, asteroid rendezvous and touchdown, and direct sample-capsule return while exploring the S-type asteroid Itokawa.
- Destination
- Heliocentric trajectory to near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa, reached on 12 September 2005 for remote sensing and two sample-collection touchdowns, followed by return of the sample capsule to Earth on 13 June 2010
- End Date
- 2010-06-13
- Landing Facility
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Success despite major spacecraft failures. Hayabusa rendezvoused with asteroid Itokawa, performed two touchdowns, and returned the first samples collected from an asteroid to Earth. Although the sampling projectile likely did not fire, microscopic Itokawa particles were recovered from the capsule after its 2010 Woomera landing.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 2003-05-09
- Vehicle Families
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 16, 2026 at 23:37:41 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 23, 2026 at 01:43:36 UTC
- Image
- Download
Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- Hayabusa MUSES-C Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles