\n<\/p>\n
Hayabusa2 aimed to fly past Torifune\u00a0as close as possible without colliding, and it came as close as 800 meters (0.5 miles) from the asteroid\u2019s center. Because of Torifune\u2019s small size and low reflectivity, Hayabusa2 wasn\u2019t able to plot its exact trajectory past the asteroid until a few days before the flyby, requiring last-minute navigational adjustments. JAXA saw the flyby as an opportunity to test the kind of orbital maneuvering that would be necessary for a planned collision with an asteroid, also known as the kinetic impactor method of asteroid deflection. This added to Hayabusa2\u2019s value to planetary defense efforts, along with the mission\u2019s study of its asteroid targets themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mission\u2019s final objective is to conduct a close flyby of the asteroid 1998 KY26.<\/p>\n
At just 11 meters (36 feet) in diameter, 1998 KY26 would be the smallest asteroid visited up-close by a spacecraft. Hayabusa2 is expected to reach this final target in 2031, when it will enter into orbit around the asteroid and attempt to land on its surface. This will be challenging due to KY26\u2019s small size and extremely rapid rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This final objective will also serve humanity\u2019s efforts to defend our planet from impacts. 1998 KY26 is about half the size of the\u00a0asteroid that exploded above Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013. Asteroids of this size collide with Earth once every 10 to 100 years or so, on average, and can cause significant damage, but are too small to be easily spotted by ground-based telescopes. Missions like Hayabusa2 can yield important discoveries about these potentially dangerous little space rocks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n