Konstantin Sukharnikov Scientific instrumentation

A hobby. An independent overview compiled from public sources by a science and space enthusiast. I am not involved in these missions or facilities; my own work is detector electronics at European XFEL. My projects →

Mission · Asteroids & comets

Hayabusa2# (extended mission)

Extended mission after returning samples from Ryugu in 2020

Status
Extended mission
Launched
3 Dec 2014
Target
Asteroid 1998 KY26 (after a flyby of Torifune)
Agencies
JAXA
Next
Jul 2031 rendezvous with 1998 KY26

Summary

The spacecraft that delivered samples of asteroid Ryugu in 2020 is still flying: it passed asteroid Torifune (2001 CC21) and will rendezvous with the tiny, fast-spinning 1998 KY26 in 2031.

Now as of 3 Nov 2026

On 5 July 2026 it flew past Torifune at about 5 km/s. The ONC-T camera showed an elongated two-lobed asteroid shaped like a snowman; the TIR thermal imager observed it too (Sci.News). Secondary reports put the flyby distance at about 800 m from the centre; I found no JAXA confirmation of that figure. Brian May (yes, that one) and Claudia Manzoni turned the images into a stereo pair (brianmay.com).

Key dates

  1. 3 Dec 2014Launch (H-IIA)done
  2. 6 Dec 2020Capsule with Ryugu samples lands on Earthdone
  3. 5 Jul 2026Flyby of Torifune (98943, 2001 CC21)done
  4. Jul 2031Rendezvous with 1998 KY26planned

Timeline

  1. 5 Jul 2026Torifune flyby, ONC-T and TIR images — Sci.News