Was Hayabusa Damaged In Second Asteroid Landing Attempt? | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-06.23.25

Airborne-NextGen-06.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Mon, Nov 28, 2005

Was Hayabusa Damaged In Second Asteroid Landing Attempt?

Thrusters Latest Issue To Strike Trouble-Prone Probe

A Japanese spacecraft on an unprecedented mission to collect samples from an asteroid and bring them home to Earth is indeed on its way back -- but may have been damaged in landing.

All engines aboard the Hayabusa lander were shut down for a time as it hovered about three miles above the Itokawa asteroid. It had been vibrating as if one of its thrusters had developed a leak of some sort.

The probe now appears to be stabilizing, and the Japanese Space Agency JAXA will reportedly restart its engines December 10th for the long trek home.

It was the second landing attempt for Hayabusa. As was reported in Aero-News last week, JAXA lost touch with the spacecraft as it made its first attempt. It wasn't until the probe had lifted off again and communications were re-established that JAXA controller realized the Hayabusa ship had indeed landed, for approximately 30 minutes.

The question JAXA controllers were asking after that attempt is the same they're asking now: was the probe able to collect any samples from the asteroid's surface? The answer may not be apparent until the robotic spacecraft returns to Earth -- in June 2007.

FMI: www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-23

Pilot Also Reported That Due To A Fuel Leak, The Auxiliary Fuel Tanks Were Not Used On June 4, 2025, at 13:41 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, N2109P, was substantially damage>[...]

ANN FAQ: Submit a News Story!

Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: One Man’s Vietnam

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Reflections on War’s Collective Lessons and Cyclical Nature The exigencies of war ought be colorblind. Inane social-constructs the likes of racis>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.03.25)

Aero Linx: Colorado Pilots Association (CPA) Colorado Pilots Association was incorporated as a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation in 1972. It is a statewide organization with over 700 >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.03.25): High Speed Taxiway

High Speed Taxiway A long radius taxiway designed and provided with lighting or marking to define the path of aircraft, traveling at high speed (up to 60 knots), from the runway ce>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC