A JAXA robotic mission that achieved the first successful asteroid sample-return, traveling to the near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa, collecting dust-grain samples from its surface, and returning them to Earth for laboratory analysis. Launched on 9 May 2003 and returning on 13 June 2010, the mission recovered roughly 1,500 grains of material confirmed to match Itokawa's composition, directly informing the design of its successor, Hayabusa2.
Facts
Mission TypeRobotic asteroid sample-return mission 1 End DateDate the sample return capsule landed on Earth. OutcomeSuccessful; the first asteroid sample return in history, recovering approximately 1,500 grains of material from Itokawa confirmed to match the asteroid's composition. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Hayabusa, lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia: Hayabusa, lead section
Hayabusa was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis.
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