Hayabusa 2. Mission Objectives and Tools

On December 3, the Hayabusa-2 probe was successfully launched from the Tanegashima Cosmodrome to the 1999 JU3 asteroid.

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The asteroid was discovered on May 10, 1999 as part of the LINEAR project at Socorro Observatory and does not yet have its own name. The asteroid is not particularly remarkable except for the fact that it is chosen as a target for visiting the mission of Hayabusa-2 with the aim of landing and taking soil. The diameter of the asteroid is almost two times larger (0.92 km) than that of the asteroid (25143) Itokawa, who in 2005 visited the first device of the Hayabusa series.

1999 JU3 is a typical near-Earth asteroid from the Apollo group, which belongs to the spectral class C and has an elongated orbit, because of which, in the process of its movement around the Sun, it intersects not only the Earth orbit, but also Mars.

Timeline flight.


December 3, 2014 : Launch



End of 2015 : Gravity maneuver.

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Summer 2018 : Arrival at the asteroid and its study for 18 months.

Explore an asteroid using instruments such as the Near InfraRed Spectrometer (NIRS3) and the Thermal Infrared Imager (TIR).

Separation of the MINERVA rover and MASCOT.

Sampling from an asteroid.

End 2020 : Return to Earth.

Device Specifications



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The satellite’s dimensions are 1.0m x 1.6m x 1.4m, and its mass is about 600 kg. Hayabusa is equipped with ion engines with a thrust of 10 mN for each engine.

Instruments



Sampler mechanism (SMP). SMP will collect samples from an asteroid. The design of the mechanism is the same as that used on the first Hayabusa device, with minor modifications.

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A small projectile will be shot as soon as the end of the cylindrical nozzle touches the surface of the asteroid. Then the discarded substance will be collected in a trap.

Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) - A Liner impactor weighing 2 kg will be dropped onto the surface of the asteroid at a speed of 2 km / s to create an artificial crater.

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The asteroid structure will be investigated before and after a collision with an impactor, as well as the characteristics of the ejected substance.

NIRS3 Infrared Spectrometers (Near InfraRed Spectrometer, where 3 means “3μm”) and TIR (Thermal Infrared Imager)
Hayabusa 2 will be located 20 km above the asteroid. Using NIRS3, we will study the composition of the asteroid, search for water and determine the minerals it consists of. Using TIR, we will study the surface of the asteroid by changing surface temperature.

MINERVA-II Rovers

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Three small rovers will be planted on the surface of the asteroid, which will take soil samples.

The MASCOT

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Lander landing gear carries 4 devices (MicrOmega, MAG, CAM, and MARA). After landing, the device will "jump" once to change its location.

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