Tag: H-2A F26
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Hayabusa 2 launches on audacious asteroid adventure
Japan’s Hayabusa 2 asteroid mission blasts off from Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H-2A rocket. Credit: JAXA A Japanese H-2A launcher blasted off from an idyllic island spaceport Tuesday, dispatching a daring six-year expedition to bring a piece of an asteroid back to Earth. The Hayabusa 2 mission’s roundtrip voyage began at 0422 GMT Wednesday…
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Live coverage: Japanese asteroid mission blasts off
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Japanese H-2A rocket carrying Hayabusa 2, a robotic spacecraft designed to collect samples from an asteroid and return the material to Earth. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
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Japan set to launch asteroid sample return mission
The Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is mated to the top of an H-2A launcher at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Credit: JAXA Japan is readying an H-2A rocket for liftoff Tuesday to kick off an audacious six-year roundtrip journey a carbon-rich asteroid, drop a fleet of landers to its surface, collect primordial rock samples, and…
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Philae’s “little cousin” heading for asteroid touchdown
A technician installs the MASCOT lander into the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft before launching to an asteroid. Credit: DLR Weeks after accomplishing the first touchdown on a comet, the team of European scientists that developed the Philae landing craft is awaiting launch of a related robot riding piggyback with Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft to achieve the…
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Launch of Japanese asteroid probe delayed
Japanese technicians attach the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft on top of its H-2A launcher. Credit: JAXA Poor weather at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan has grounded until at least Wednesday the launch of a $300 million robotic mission to fly to an asteroid, pick up samples and return them to Earth. The launch was supposed…