Hayabusa2 flyby of asteroid Torifune validates planetary‑defense test

On 5 July 2026 the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that its Hayabusa2 spacecraft performed a close flyby of the near‑Earth asteroid 98943 Torifune. The probe passed within about 800 m of the roughly 450‑metre‑diameter Apollo‑type body at a relative speed of around 5 km s⁻¹ (≈18 000 km h⁻¹). High‑resolution optical images captured by the ONC‑T camera showed a dual‑lobed shape that scientists likened to a “snowman”, while the TIR infrared camera recorded large temperature contrasts between sun‑lit and shaded areas.

JAXA presented the maneuver as a technology‑demonstration for planetary‑defence: it proves that a spacecraft can navigate with metre‑scale precision around a potentially hazardous asteroid, a prerequisite for future missions that might alter an asteroid’s trajectory. The data are being downlinked for further analysis. The extended mission will later target the tiny asteroid 1998 KY26 in 2031.

Japanese mission scientist Yuya Mimasu said of the image, “It gave me goosebumps – it really looked like a snowman.” The successful flyby marks one of the closest recorded approaches to a near‑Earth object and underscores Japan’s role in developing global asteroid‑defence capabilities.