Articles

Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.

Hayabusa2 Nailed its Second Touchdown on Asteroid Ryugu

JAXA's sample collection spacecraft touched down just 60 centimeters away from its aimpoint.

Scenes of triumph at mission control after confirmation of success.

Hayabusa2 makes second touchdown on asteroid Ryugu

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has touched down on Ryugu for a second time, bagging samples which hopefully contain material from the subsurface of the asteroid.

OSIRIS-REx Sets Low-Orbit Record, Enters New Orbital B Mission Phase

Last week, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission announced that they had achieved an orbit above asteroid Bennu with an altitude of only 680 meters. Now they are surveying for landing sites and have invited the public's help.

Treasure Hunting With Hayabusa2

IN THE EARLY hours of 22 February, light was just beginning to brighten the campus of JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences (ISAS) in Kanagawa, Japan. It should have been a quiet time, but the Hayabusa2 control room was packed with people. We were about to land on an asteroid.

Rosetta’s Ancient Comet

Rosetta is a European Space Agency mission with contributions from its member states and NASA. Operating such a complex mission with its 11 instruments and Philae lander is a success story in itself, but Rosetta’s greatest success is the science it delivered.

Hayabusa2 drops second target marker, targets artificial crater for sample collection

The reflective softball-sized sphere will give the spacecraft a visual guide during a second potential sample collection.

Results of the public 2007 OR10 name voting opportunity

The People Have Voted on 2007 OR10's Future Name!

Gonggong is the fan favorite name for this icy distant world, but the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Committee for Small-Body Nomenclature has the final say.

Hayabusa2 shadow during aborted 2nd target marker drop

Hayabusa2 Encounters Snag Trying to Drop Second Target Marker

The spacecraft is healthy and safe, but time is running out to collect a second sample from asteroid Ryugu.

View of the North from Bennu’s Southern Hemisphere

Here's a Roundup of Recent OSIRIS-REx Postcards from Bennu

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently sweeping arcs between the asteroid's north and south poles.

Here’s an Update on Hayabusa2’s Crater-Creating Explosion

Hayabusa2's SCI experiment fell toward Ryugu for 40 minutes before detonating about 300 meters above the surface.

2007 OR10 Needs a Name!

It’s time to give 2007 OR10 a name. We’re asking for your help to pick a suitable name for the largest as-yet-unnamed solar system world to submit to the International Astronomical Union (IAU).